Dr. Faul’s laboratory provides a diverse environment in which cell biological, cardiovascular and renal researchers can be trained. As a basic scientist in a department of medicine, and with most of his research projects linked to clinically relevant problems and questions, his laboratory provides a platform for young researchers to perform translational research that can potentially link bench with bedside. Dr. Faul’s office door is always open to talk science and to welcome new talent to the world of cardio-renal research and cell biology.
Dr. Faul’s Training Record
Number of post doctorates in training currently: 1
Number of post doctorates completed training: 3
Number of PhD students in training currently: 3
Number of PhD students graduated: 6
Number of first-year PhD students completed lab rotation: 10
Number of undergraduate students completed training: 2
Number of international visiting students: 3
Dr. Faul’s laboratory studies signal transduction pathways in cardiac myocytes that regulate cardiac remodeling with the goal to identify novel drug targets for cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. He focuses on circulating fibroblast growth factors and their pathological effects on the heart in the context of chronic kidney disease and diabetes. In collaborations with pharma industry, Dr. Faul analyzes beneficial cardiac effects of pharmacological blockers for fibroblast growth factor receptors in animal models with kidney injury and diabetes.
Laboratory Techniques and Models
– Primary cell culture models from mice and rats for cardiac myocytes and fibroblast as well as hepatocytes
– Generation and analysis of animal models with primary kidney or primary cardiac injury, induced by surgeries (5/6 nephrectomy, renal ischemia reperfusion, unilateral ureter obstruction, transverse aortic constriction), genetically (klotho deficiency, Col4a3 knockout, FGFR4 knockin), infusions (isoproterenol, angiotensin-2) or changes in the diet (adenine-rich, high phosphate).
– Analysis of cardiac phenotypes of mice and rats by echocardiography, histology and expression profiling
– Analysis of signal transduction pathways
– Analysis of protein-protein interactions
– Synthesis and purification of recombinant proteins
– Design of signaling-based assays to detect and quantify proteins in solution
