Melanie Gartz, PhD, MS, MHS

Assistant Professor

Locations

Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy
Office: B4135

Contact Information

Education

KINETIC3 Scholar, Medical Educator Track, Medical College of Wisconsin
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Cell Biology, Medical Education, Medical College of Wisconsin
PhD, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2020
MS, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2014
MHS, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2011
BS, Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 2009

Biography

Teaching Interests

As an educator in the medical and graduate schools at MCW, I am involved in teaching in the Clinical Human Anatomy Courses and Musculoskeletal Skin Course. I have additional experience leading small group discussions for M1, M2 and M3 students in the Molecular and Cellular Research Pathways Course. I aim to create an inclusive learning environment for all of my students where they can discuss ideas openly and get questions answered as they continue on their knowledge journey.

Honors and Awards

03/2016 Best Poster, Department of Medicine Research Retreat
09/2017 Best Poster, Graduate Student Poster Session
11/2017 Outstanding Medical Student Teacher
03/2018 Best Poster, Graduate Student Research Symposium
09/2018 Graduate Student Award, Women in Science Committee
09/2018 Best Poster, Graduate Student Poster Session
11/2018 Outstanding Medical Student Teacher
03/2019 Best Presentation, Graduate Student Research Symposium
09/2019 Best Poster, Graduate Student Poster Session
11/2019 Outstanding Medical Student Teacher
11/2021 Outstanding Medical Student Teacher
06/2022 Karen Marcdante Bravery in Teaching Award

Research Interests

I have interests in utilizing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to model genetic neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Nemaline Myopathy. Differentiation of these iPSCs into skeletal myocytes and cardiomyocytes serves as a platform for our investigations of molecular mechanisms underlying these genetic disorders. We use iPSCs with patient-specific gene to recapitulate human disease phenotypes. Prior work has identified oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction as contributing factors to DMD. Further, cellular communication via exosomes was found to contribute to disease pathogenesis in DMD. We are now exploring similar dysfunctional pathways in our in vitro models of NM.

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a potential disease biomarker in cell and mouse models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

(Slick RA, Sutton J, Haberman M, O'Brien BS, Tinklenberg JA, Mardikar A, Prom MJ, Beatka M, Gartz M, Vanden Avond MA, Siebers E, Mack DL, Gonzalez JP, Ebert AD, Nagaraju K, Lawlor MW.) Biol Open. 2024 Sep 15;13(9) PMID: 39158383 PMCID: PMC11391821 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85204886608 08/19/2024
ACTA1 H40Y mutant iPSC-derived skeletal myocytes display mitochondrial defects in an in vitro model of nemaline myopathy.

(Gartz M, Haberman M, Sutton J, Slick RA, Luttrell SM, Mack DL, Lawlor MW.) Exp Cell Res. 2023 Mar 15;424(2):113507 PMID: 36796746 PMCID: PMC9993434 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85149427969 02/17/2023
A Long-Term Study Evaluating the Effects of Nicorandil Treatment on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-Associated Cardiomyopathy in mdx Mice.

(Gartz M, Haberman M, Prom MJ, Beatka MJ, Strande JL, Lawlor MW.) J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 2022;27:10742484221088655 PMID: 35353647 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85127284016 03/31/2022
Cardiomyocyte-produced miR-339-5p mediates pathology in Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy.

(Gartz M, Beatka M, Prom MJ, Strande JL, Lawlor MW.) Hum Mol Genet. 2021 Nov 16;30(23):2347-2361 PMID: 34270708 PMCID: PMC8600005 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85121129104 07/17/2021
Optimizing the Differentiation of Cardiomyocytes from Human Induced Pluripotent-Derived Stem Cells.

(Gartz M, Strande JL.) Methods Mol Biol. 2021;2319:51-60 PMID: 34331242 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85112650897 08/01/2021
Influence of microRNAs and exosomes in muscle health and diseases.

(Lam NT, Gartz M, Thomas L, Haberman M, Strande JL.) J Muscle Res Cell Motil. 2020 Dec;41(4):269-284 PMID: 31564031 PMCID: PMC7101267 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85073991345 09/30/2019
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) cardiomyocyte-secreted exosomes promote the pathogenesis of DMD-associated cardiomyopathy.

(Gartz M, Lin CW, Sussman MA, Lawlor MW, Strande JL.) Dis Model Mech. 2020 Nov 13;13(11) PMID: 33188007 PMCID: PMC7673361 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85096154674 11/15/2020
First person - Melanie Gartz

(Gartz M.) DMM Disease Models and Mechanisms. November 2020;13(11) SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85096878827 11/01/2020
Exosomes exert cardioprotection in dystrophin-deficient cardiomyocytes via ERK1/2-p38/MAPK signaling.

(Gartz M, Darlington A, Afzal MZ, Strande JL.) Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 08;8(1):16519 PMID: 30410044 PMCID: PMC6224575 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85056282822 11/10/2018
Examining the Paracrine Effects of Exosomes in Cardiovascular Disease and Repair.

(Gartz M, Strande JL.) J Am Heart Assoc. 2018 Jun 01;7(11) PMID: 29858362 PMCID: PMC6015376 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85048024676 06/03/2018
Generation of human iPSCs from urine derived cells of patient with a novel heterozygous PAI-1 mutation.

(Afzal MZ, Gartz M, Klyachko EA, Khan SS, Shah SJ, Gupta S, Shapiro AD, Vaughan DE, Strande JL.) Stem Cell Res. 2017 Jan;18:41-44 PMID: 28395801 PMCID: PMC5939958 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85028072477 04/12/2017
Generation of human iPSCs from urine derived cells of a non-affected control subject.

(Afzal MZ, Gartz M, Klyachko EA, Khan SS, Shah SJ, Gupta S, Shapiro AD, Vaughan DE, Strande JL.) Stem Cell Res. 2017 Jan;18:33-36 PMID: 28395799 PMCID: PMC5389122 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85028089891 04/12/2017