Lu Han, PhD

Assistant Professor

Locations

The Herma Heart Institute, Children’s Wisconsin
8701 Watertown Plank Rd.
TBRC/CRI, 2nd Floor, C2475

Contact Information

General Interests

Cell Proliferation and Differentiation; Heart Regeneration

Education

Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2016
PhD, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Beijing China, 2010
BS, Jilin University - Changchun China, 2003

Visit the Han Lab Website

Honors and Awards

American Heart Associate, Career Development Award, National
Award for Randall Big Idea Competition, Pittsburgh, PA
Travel Award for Weinstein Conference, Boston, MA

Research Areas of Interest

Cardiology
Cell Differentiation
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Mitosis
Myocytes, Cardiac

Research Interests

Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. One of the fundamental problems is that unlike other organs, once injured the adult human heart cannot heal itself due to the minimal proliferative capacity within heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes). Despite significant efforts invested in developing new strategies, a clinically effective approach for the treatment of an injured adult human heart does not exist. This highlights the need to understand fundamental mechanisms regulating heart repair and how to control them.

The research interests of the Han lab reside at the interface of Cell Biology, Genomics, and Cardiology. We employ several experimental systems, including engineered mouse models and human-induced pluripotent stem cells, to understanding the regulation and consequences of cardiomyocyte terminal differentiation, both during heart development and in response to different forms of pathological insults. In addition, we utilize a variety of molecular and computational techniques to dissect the diversity of cellular behavior via single-cell functional genomics.

Our research will help to answer three major questions related to human heart repair: (1) Does a subpopulation of human cardiomyocytes possess a proliferative potential? If so, is it caused by ploidy composition and how can it be controlled?; (2) What role does polyploid cardiomyocytes play in cardiac growth and repair? and; (3) How to induce human iPSC maturation in-vitro with further comprehension of the mechanisms directing cardiomyocyte terminal differentiation?
Ultimately, we will provide a cell biology view to better understand human heart disease and develop regenerative strategies.

Measuring cardiomyocyte cell-cycle activity and proliferation in the age of heart regeneration.

(Auchampach J, Han L, Huang GN, Kühn B, Lough JW, O'Meara CC, Payumo AY, Rosenthal NA, Sucov HM, Yutzey KE, Patterson M.) Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2022 Apr 01;322(4):H579-H596 PMID: 35179974 PMCID: PMC8934681 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85127729067 02/19/2022
Polyploid cardiomyocytes: implications for heart regeneration.

(Kirillova A, Han L, Liu H, Kühn B.) Development. 2021 Jul 15;148(14) PMID: 34897388 PMCID: PMC8326922 12/14/2021
Generation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Differentiation into Cardiomyocytes.

(Han L, Mich-Basso J, Kühn B.) Methods Mol Biol. 2021;2158:125-139 PMID: 32857370 PMCID: PMC8221246 08/29/2020
Lamin B2 Levels Regulate Polyploidization of Cardiomyocyte Nuclei and Myocardial Regeneration.

(Han L, Choudhury S, Mich-Basso JD, Ammanamanchi N, Ganapathy B, Suresh S, Khaladkar M, Singh J, Maehr R, Zuppo DA, Kim J, Eberwine JH, Wyman SK, Wu YL, Kühn B.) Dev Cell. 2020 Apr 06;53(1):42-59.e11 PMID: 32109383 PMCID: PMC7346764 02/29/2020
Control of cytokinesis by β-adrenergic receptors indicates an approach for regulating cardiomyocyte endowment.

(Liu H, Zhang CH, Ammanamanchi N, Suresh S, Lewarchik C, Rao K, Uys GM, Han L, Abrial M, Yimlamai D, Ganapathy B, Guillermier C, Chen N, Khaladkar M, Spaethling J, Eberwine JH, Kim J, Walsh S, Choudhury S, Little K, Francis K, Sharma M, Viegas M, Bais A, Kostka D, Ding J, Bar-Joseph Z, Wu Y, Yechoor V, Moulik M, Johnson J, Weinberg J, Reyes-Múgica M, Steinhauser ML, Kühn B.) Sci Transl Med. 2019 Oct 09;11(513) PMID: 31597755 PMCID: PMC8132604 10/11/2019
Modeling and study of the mechanism of dilated cardiomyopathy using induced pluripotent stem cells derived from individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

(Lin B, Li Y, Han L, Kaplan AD, Ao Y, Kalra S, Bett GC, Rasmusson RL, Denning C, Yang L.) Dis Model Mech. 2015 May;8(5):457-66 PMID: 25791035 PMCID: PMC4415895 03/21/2015
Reconciling computer models and stem cell models of human cardiac repolarization: reply.

(Han L, Li Y, Tchao J, Kaplan AD, Lin B, Li Y, Mich-Basso J, Lis A, Hassan N, London B, Bett GC, Tobita K, Rasmusson RL, Yang L.) Cardiovasc Res. 2015 Apr 01;106(1):6-7 PMID: 25691542 02/19/2015
Study familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells.

(Han L, Li Y, Tchao J, Kaplan AD, Lin B, Li Y, Mich-Basso J, Lis A, Hassan N, London B, Bett GC, Tobita K, Rasmusson RL, Yang L.) Cardiovasc Res. 2014 Nov 01;104(2):258-69 PMID: 25209314 PMCID: PMC4217687 09/12/2014
Combined biophysical and soluble factor modulation induces cardiomyocyte differentiation from human muscle derived stem cells.

(Tchao J, Han L, Lin B, Yang L, Tobita K.) Sci Rep. 2014 Oct 14;4:6614 PMID: 25310989 PMCID: PMC4196107 10/15/2014
Overexpression of microRNA-1 promotes cardiomyocyte commitment from human cardiovascular progenitors via suppressing WNT and FGF signaling pathways.

(Lu TY, Lin B, Li Y, Arora A, Han L, Cui C, Coronnello C, Sheng Y, Benos PV, Yang L.) J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2013 Oct;63:146-54 PMID: 23939491 PMCID: PMC4268488 08/14/2013
Hydroxyurea-induced global transcriptional suppression in mouse ES cells.

(Cui P, Lin Q, Xin C, Han L, An L, Wang Y, Hu Z, Ding F, Zhang L, Hu S, Hang H, Yu J.) Carcinogenesis. 2010 Sep;31(9):1661-8 PMID: 20513671 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-77956283059 06/02/2010
Mouse Rad1 deletion enhances susceptibility for skin tumor development.

(Han L, Hu Z, Liu Y, Wang X, Hopkins KM, Lieberman HB, Hang H.) Mol Cancer. 2010 Mar 24;9:67 PMID: 20334655 PMCID: PMC2864214 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-77952656146 03/26/2010