Markus Cicka

Program: Molecular Cell Biology

Current advisor: Kory J. Lavine, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: Emory University, 2022

Enrollment year: 2022

Research summary
Role of the MYD88/IRAK Signaling Pathway in Macrophages after Cardiac Injury

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the United States. Hypertensive heart disease is a major cause of heart failure and its pathogenesis is enhanced by local and systemic inflammation. Interleukin-1b (IL-1b) levels are markedly elevated following various forms of cardiac injury and in heart failure patients and are associated with poor prognosis. IL-1b activates the downstream protein called MYD88, which also may be activated via damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) or alarmins via toll-like receptors (TLRs) after heart injury. MYD88 then activates IRAK1-4, promoting pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine release. I am currently investigating the role of MYD88 and IRAK1-4 in either recruited macrophages, resident macrophages, or both cell types and how they can influence positive or negative cardiac remodeling.

Graduate publications
Holt M, Lin J, Cicka M, Wong A, Epelman S, Lavine KJ.. 2024 Dissecting and Visualizing the Functional Diversity of Cardiac Macrophages. Circ Res, 134(12):1791-1807