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Burns Lab | Overview

Burns lab image of purple cells.

Cardiovascular diseases represent the number one cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, affecting a broad spectrum of ages from babies that are born with congenital heart defects to adults that suffer acute myocardial infractions and/or develop congestive heart failure over time. Our research program is motivated by the simple assumption that we can use the zebrafish as a model organism to understand how the cardiovascular system is established during development and how it efficiently regenerates following injury during adulthood.

Current projects in the Burns Lab include:

  • Heart Development
  • Cardiovascular Progenitor Cell Biology
  • Heart Function
  • Pharyngeal Arch Artery (PAA) Development
  • Pathways Regulating PAA Development
  • Modeling Great Vessel CHDs
  • Progenitor Heterogeneity
  • Heart Regeneration
  • Barriers to Cardiomyocyte Proliferation
  • Epigenetic Control of Heart Regeneration
  • Genetic Control of Heart Regeneration
Headshot of Caroline Burns, a blond woman.

Caroline Burns

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Department of Cardiology, Boston Children’s Hospital

Contact: Caroline.Burns@childrens.harvard.edu

Headshot of Geoff Burns, a man with short gray hair.

Geoff Burns

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Department of Cardiology, Boston Children’s Hospital

Contact: Geoff.Burns@childrens.harvard.edu