Pathology

Michael W. Lawlor, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pathology
Director, Pediatric Pathology Neuromuscular Laboratory

Dr. Lawlor's clinical responsibilities include the diagnosis of nerve, muscle, brain and spinal cord specimens from surgical and autopsy material, with an emphasis on pediatric muscle and nerve biopsies.  His research laboratory studies animal models of congenital muscle disease (X-linked myotubular myopathy and nemaline myopathy, in most cases) with a focus on developing and testing new treatments for these diseases.

Research Interests

• Pediatric muscle disease (X-linked myotubular myopathy)
• Preclinical trials of novel therapeutic agents
• Skeletal muscle pathology
• Skeletal muscle physiology
• In vitro models of skeletal muscle function and disease

Professional Background

• Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin / Children's Hospital of Wisconsin (2001 - Present)

Educational Background

• BS, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1993 - 1996)
• MD, PhD, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL (1997 - 2004)
• Anatomic Pathology Residency, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (2004 - 2006)
• Neuropathology Fellowship, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (2006 - 2008)
• Research Fellowship, Human Molecular Genetics, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (2008 - 2001)

Board Certifications

• Anatomic Pathology
• Neuropathology

Selected Publications

• Lawlor MW, Read BP, Edelstein R, Yang N, Pierson CR, Stein MJ, Wermer-Colan A, Buj-Bello A, Lachey JL, Seehra JS, Beggs AH.  Inhibition of activin receptor type IIB increases strength and lifespan in myotubularin-deficient mice.  Am J Pathol, 2011, 178:784-793.

• Ottenheijm CAC, Lawlor MW, Stienen GJM, Granzier H, Beggs AH.  Changes in cross bridge cycling underlie muscle weakness in patients with tropomyosin 3-based myopathy.  Hum Mol Genet 2011, 20:2015-25.

• Lawlor MW, Ottenheijm CA, Lehtokari VL, Cho K, Pelin K, Wallgren-Pettersson C, Granzier H, Beggs AH. Novel mutations in NEB cause abnormal nebulin expression and markedly impaired muscle force generation in severe nemaline myopathy. Skeletal Muscle, 2011, 1:23.

• Lawlor MW*, DeChene ET*, Roumm E, Geggel AS, Moghadaszadeh B, Beggs AH.  Mutations of tropomyosin 3 (TPM3) are common and associated with type 1 myofiber hypotrophy in congenital fiber type disproportion. Hum Mutat. 2010 Feb;31(2):176-83. PMC2815199.

• Markert CD, Meaney MP, Voelker KA, Grange RW, Dalley HW, Cann JK, Ahmed M, Bishwokarma B, Walker SJ, Yu SX, Brown M, Lawlor MW, Beggs AH, Childers MK. Functional muscle analysis of the Tcap knockoutmouse. Hum Mol Genet. 2010 Jun 1;19(11):2268-83. PMC2865379.

• Pratt SJP, Lawlor MW, Shah SB, Lovering RM.  An in vivo rodent model of contraction-induced injury in the quadriceps muscle.  Injury.  In Press.

• Lawlor MW, Richards MP, Fisher MA, and Stubbs Jr. EB. Sensory nerve conduction deficit in experimental monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) neuropathy. Muscle Nerve 2001;24:809-816. PMID: 11360265.

• Lawlor MW, Richards MP, De Vries GH, Fisher MA, Stubbs Jr. EB. Antibodies to L-periaxin in sera of patients with peripheral neuropathy produce experimental sensory nerve conduction deficits. J. Neurochem. 2002;83:1-9. PMID: 12390521.

• Stubbs Jr. EB, Lawlor MW, Richards MP, Siddiqui K, Fisher MA, Bhoopalam N and Siegel GJ. Anti-neurofilament antibodies in MGUS neuropathy produce experimental motor nerve conduction block. Acta Neuropathol (Berl). 2003 Feb;105(2):109-16. Epub 2002 Sep 13. PMID: 12536221.

• Epstein-Barash H, Shichor I, Kwon AH, Hall S, Lawlor MW, Langer R, Kohane DS. Prolonged duration local anesthesia with minimal toxicity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Apr 28: 106(17):7125-30. PMC2678453.

• Lawlor MW, Nielsen GP, Louis DN. Malignant solitary fibrous tumour of the meninges with marked amianthoid fibre deposition.  Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 2008 Oct;34(5):569-72. Epub 2008 Feb 21. PMID: 18298634.

• Kheir JN*, Lawlor MW*, Ahn ES, Lehmann L, Riviello JJ, Silvera VM, McManus M, Folkerth RD.  Neuropathology of a fatal case of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2010 Feb 16. 2010 Sep-Oct;13(5):397-403. PMID: 20158377.