Cristhian Gutierrez Huerta

Immunology, immunometabolism, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, dietary, mitochondrial dynamics and cellular metabolism

Research Experience

Medical College of Wisconsin, 2021-present
Advisor: Andreas Beyer, PhD, Physiology
Project: Establishing the critical role of mitochondrial dynamics in microvasculature function

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2018- 2020
Advisor: Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley, MD, MPH
Projects: Understanding the biological mechanisms of neighborhood environment and chronic stress induced health disparities, investigating the effects of LDL cholesterol on monocyte subset differentiation and chemokine expression profile, and elucidating the mechanism of obesity-induced NK cell dysfunction

University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Summer 2017
Advisor: Joshua S. Speed, PhD
Project: Understanding the effects of high-salt diet on ETa and ETb receptor expression in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue

University of California, Merced, 2015- 2016
Advisor: David Ardell, PhD
Project: Utilizing tRNA sequences to phylogenetically classify genome and metagenome datasets

U.S. Department of Energy - Joint Genome Institute, Summer 2015
Advisor: Zhong Wang, PhD
Project: Using consensus-based, supervised machine learning methods on previously unclassified genomes as a predictor of novel bacterial phyla

Publications

Baumer Y, Pita MA, Turner BS, Baez AS, Ortiz-Whittingham LR, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Neally SJ, Farmer N, Mitchell VM, Collins BS, Powell-Wiley TM. Neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and individual-level socioeconomic status are associated with dopamine-mediated changes to monocyte subset CCR2 expression via a cAMP-dependent pathway. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2023 May 14;30:100640. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100640. PMID: 37251548; PMCID: PMC10220312.

SenthilKumar G, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Freed JK, Beyer AM, Fancher IS, LeBlanc AJ. New developments in translational microcirculatory research. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2022 Dec 1;323(6):H1167-H1175. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00566.2022. Epub 2022 Oct 28. PMID: 36306213; PMCID: PMC9678417.

Vijayakumar NP, Neally SJ, Potharaju KA, Curlin K, Troendle JF, Collins BS, Mitchell VM, Tamura K, Ayers C, Pita MA, Tarfa HA, Thompson K, Osei Baah F, Baez AS, Ortiz-Whittingham LR, Wills Gallagher J, McCoy R, Heist M, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Turner BS, Baumer Y, Farmer N, Wallen GR, Dodge T, Powell-Wiley TM. Customizing Place-Tailored Messaging Using a Multilevel Approach: Pilot Study of the Step It Up Physical Activity Mobile App Tailored to Neighborhood Environment. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2022 Nov;15(11):e009328. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.122.009328. Epub 2022 Nov 15. PMID: 36378765; PMCID: PMC9680010.

Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Turner BS, Claudel SE, Farmer N, Islam R, Mitchell VM, Collins BS, Baumer Y, Remaley AT, Powell-Wiley TM.. LDL associates with pro-inflammatory monocyte subset differentiation and increases in chemokine receptor profile expression in African Americans. Int J Cardiol. 2022;358:88-93. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2022.04.038

Tamura K, Curlin K, Neally SJ, Vijayakumar NP, Mitchell VM, Collins BS, Gutierrez-Huerta C, et al. Geospatial Analysis of Neighborhood Environmental Stress in Relation to Biological Markers of Cardiovascular Health and Health Behaviors in Women: Protocol for a Pilot Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2021 Jul 22;10(7):e29191. doi: 10.2196/29191. PMID: 34292168; PMCID: PMC8367127.

Farmer N, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Turner BS, et al. Neighborhood Environment Associates with Trimethylamine-N-Oxide (TMAO) as a Cardiovascular Risk Marker. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 18;18(8):4296. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18084296. PMID: 33919545; PMCID: PMC8072883.

Powell-Wiley TM, Dey AK, Rivers JP, Chaturvedi A, Andrews MR, Ceasar JN, Claudel SE, Mitchell VM, Ayers C, Tamura K, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, et al. Chronic Stress-Related Neural Activity Associates With Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in a Community-Based Cohort: Data From the Washington, D.C. Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2021 Mar 10;8:599341. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.599341. PMID: 33778019; PMCID: PMC7988194.

Schwartz DM, Kitakule MM, Dizon BL, Gutierrez-Huerta C, et al. Systematic evaluation of nine monogenic autoinflammatory diseases reveals common and disease-specific correlations with allergy-associated features. Ann Rheum Dis. 2021 Feb 22:annrheumdis-2020-219137. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219137. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33619160.

Tamura K, Vijayakumar NP, Troendle JF, Curlin K, Neally SJ, Mitchell VM, Collins BS, Baumer Y, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, et al. Multilevel mobile health approach to improve cardiovascular health in resource-limited communities with Step It Up: a randomised controlled trial protocol targeting physical activity. BMJ Open. 2020 Dec 21;10(12):e040702. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040702. PMID: 33371027; PMCID: PMC7754642.

Baumer Y, Weatherby TM, Mitchell BI, SahBandar IN, Premeaux TA, Michelle L D, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Powell-Wiley TM, Brown TR, Boisvert WA, Shikuma CM, Ndhlovu LC. Hiding in plain sight - platelets, the silent carriers of HIV-1. Platelets. 2020 Nov 23:1-5. doi: 10.1080/09537104.2020.1849606. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33222575; PMCID: PMC8141065.

Andrews MR, Ceasar J, Tamura K, Langerman SD, Mitchell VM, Collins BS, Baumer Y, Gutierrez Huerta CA, Dey AK, Playford MP, Mehta NN, Powell-Wiley TM. Neighborhood environment perceptions associate with depression levels and cardiovascular risk among middle-aged and older adults: Data from the Washington, DC cardiovascular health and needs assessment [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 21]. Aging Ment Health. 2020;1-12. doi:10.1080/13607863.2020.1793898

Baumer Y, Dey AK, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, et al. Hyperlipidaemia and IFNgamma/TNFalpha Synergism are associated with cholesterol crystal formation in Endothelial cells partly through modulation of Lysosomal pH and Cholesterol homeostasis [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 6]. EBioMedicine. 2020;102876. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102876

Baumer Y, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Saxena A, et al. Immune cell phenotyping in low blood volumes for assessment of cardiovascular disease risk, development, and progression: a pilot study. J Transl Med. 2020;18(1):29. Published 2020 Jan 17. doi:10.1186/s12967-020-02207-0 

Meeting Abstracts

Cristhian A. Gutierrez-Huerta, Erin Birch, Shelby Hader, David D. Gutterman, Andreas Beyer. Upregulation of Endothelial DRP1 Promotes a Pathological Vasodilation Mechanism in Response to Flow-Induced Dilation. American Physiology Summit. Long Beach, CA. April 2023.

Cristhian A. Gutierrez-Huerta, Erin Birch, Shelby Hader, David D. Gutterman, Andreas Beyer. Endothelial DRP1 Promotes Pathological Vasodilation. MCW Department of Medicine Retreat. Milwaukee, WI. February 2022.

Cristhian A. Gutierrez Huerta, Maya Abner, Shelby Hader, Erin Birch, Karen C Clark, Andreas Beyer. Critical links between endothelial cell mitochondrial fission and end-organ defects. Medical College of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Center Research Retreat. October 2022.

Cristhian A. Gutierrez Huerta, Shelby Hader, Erin Birch, Andreas Beyer. Critical links between endothelial cell mitochondrial fission and end-organ defects. University of Mississippi Medical Center Cardio-Renal Graduate Student Symposium. October 2022. *Invited Talk*

Cristhian A. Gutierrez Huerta, Andreas Beyer. DRP1 modulates vascular endothelial function. Physiology Seminar, Medical College of Wisconsin. Milwaukee, WI. August 2022.

Cristhian A. Gutierrez-Huerta, Shelby Hader, Jason E. Beare, Evan Tracy, Kate Astbury, Elizabeth R. Jacobs, Amanda J. LeBlanc, David D. Gutterman, Andreas M. Beyer. Examining the role of Drp1 in age-related microvascular dysfunction. Philadelphia, PA. April 2022. *Invited Talk*

Cristhian A. Gutierrez Huerta, Shelby Hader, David D. Gutterman, Andreas M. Beyer. Drp1 is a crucial regulator of age-dependent microvascular dysfunction. Latino Medical Student Association Regional & National Conference. Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA. February & March 20222.

Cristhian A. Gutierrez Huerta, Shelby Hader, Jason E. Beare, Evan Tracy, Kate Astbury, Elizabeth R. Jacobs, Amanda J. LeBlanc, David D. Gutterman, Andreas M. Beyer. Mitochondrial networking in the endothelium plays a crucial role in age-dependent microvascular dysfunction. Medical College of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Center Retreat. December 2021.

Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Turner B, Mitchell VM, et al. LDL Drives Pro-Inflammatory Monocyte Subset Differentiation and increases chemokine profile expression in African-American women. NIH Virtual Postbac Poster Day. Bethesda, MD. April 2020.

Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Yu Q, Mitchell VM, et al. LDL-induced changes in monocyte populations and CCR2 expression profile as a potential contributor to CVD risk in African Americans. American Heart Association: Scientific Sessions. Philadelphia, PA. November 2019.

Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Dey AK, Mitchell VM, et al. LDL-induced pro-inflammatory monocyte subset differentiation might be a potential drive for increased CVD in African Americans. Gordon Research Conferences: Atherosclerosis. Newry, Maine. June 2019.

Baumer Y, Dey AK, Sekine Y, Sanda GE, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, et al. IFN and TNF synergistically accelerate endothelial cholesterol crystal formation in part by increasing lysosomal pH. Gordon Research Conferences: Atherosclerosis. Newry, ME. June 2019.

Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Baumer Y, Saxena A, et al. A flow cytometry approach to characterize hematologic cell populations. National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute Research Festival.

Baumer Y, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Mitchell VM, et al. Socioeconomic Status Modulates the Relationship between Dopamine and Endothelial Cell Lysosomal Function potentially accelerating Cholesterol Crystal Formation. National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute Research Festival. Bethesda, MD. March 2019.

Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Baumer Y, Power-Wiley TM. Linking social science research methods with traditional wet-lab techniques to address cardiovascular health disparities. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Research Festival. Bethesda, MD. March 2019.

General Interests

Going to breweries, hiking, Netflix, reading books, listening to TED talks, and tennis