Mission to Mars: The Heart of the Matter and (micro) Gravity of the Situation

Dr. Bowles received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at LSU Medical School focusing on the regulation of herpesvirus gene regulation. As a post-doctoral fellow in the Gene Therapy Center at UNC Chapel Hill with Jude Samulski, she was involved in AAV vector development utilized in a phase 1 clinical trial for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the first example of a clinical trial utilizing a custom designed AAV vector. The result from this trial demonstrated that these new types of vectors were safe and well tolerated in patients. It laid the foundation for the next generation of customized AAV vectors tailored for individual clinical application.

As faculty at Duke, Dr. Bowles continued her interest in applying the utilization of AAV vectors in the treatment of heart disease and failure. These interests led directly to the development of the Duke Human Heart Repository (DHHR) one of the largest repositories of its kind in the world. This robust biorepository enables investigators world-wide to conduct well-powered studies to answer key questions regarding human cardiac physiology and disease.

In the past several years Dr. Bowles has received funding from NASA to explore the consequences of stresses experienced during space travel (microgravity and radiation) on cardiovascular function and various 'omics, leveraging her expertise in proteomics, cardiovascular research, bio banking, and molecular biology.

Lunch will be provided.