James E. Jordan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Surgical Sciences (Cardiothoracic Surgery)

Education

• Trinity University, B.S. (1992)
• Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Ph.D. (1999)

My laboratory is interested in investigating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.


The major focus of my laboratory is to understand physiology, pharmacology and molecular biology of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. We use a multidisciplinary approach to study the pathophysiology of ischemia-reperfusion injury, including the use of a variety of techniques such as molecular biology (RT-PCR), cell culture (hypoxia-reoxygenation) and whole animal models. In addition to studying the integrated response to ischemia in vivo, we assess changes that occur in specific cell types including endothelial cells, myocytes and blood leukocytes. Especially of interest to the laboratory is the role of cytokines in the development of post-ischemic inflammation. We are currently exploring the role of IL-4 in limiting the inflammatory response to ischemia and its potential as a therapeutic approach.

Current collaborations include magnetic resonance imaging for the early detection of heart failure during chemotherapy with doxorubicin (Cardiology) and the development of coronary flow measurements using MRI (Biomedical Engineering)