Melissa Quintanilla Anfinson, PhD

Cardiac genetics, cardiac development

Research Experience

Medical College of Wisconsin, 2018-2023
Advisor: Aoy Mitchell, PhD
Project: The Role of MYH6 Variants in Development and Progression of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Yale University, 2015-2016
Advisor: Dr. Lynne Regan
Project: In vitro examination of heat shock factor 1 activation in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer following HSP90 inhibition

College of St. Benedict, 2014-2015
Advisor: Dr. Rachel Hutcheson
Project: Investigating uncharacterized radical S-adenosylmethionine enzymes

Publications

Thareja SK, Anfinson M, Cavanaugh M, Kim MS, Lamberton P, Radandt J, Brown R, Liang HL, Stamm K, Afzal MZ, Strande J, Frommelt MA, Lough JW, Fitts RH, Mitchell ME, Tomita-Mitchell A. Altered contractility, Ca2+ transients, and cell morphology seen in a patient-specific iPSC-CM model of Ebstein's anomaly with left ventricular noncompaction. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2023 Jul 1;325(1):H149-H162. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00658.2022. Epub 2023 May 19. PMID: 37204873; PMCID: PMC10312315.

Anfinson M, Fitts RH, Lough JW, James JM, Simpson PM, Handler SS, Mitchell ME, Tomita-Mitchell A. Significance of α-Myosin Heavy Chain (MYH6) Variants in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and Related Cardiovascular Diseases. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. 2022 May 3;9(5):144. doi: 10.3390/jcdd9050144. PMID: 35621855; PMCID: PMC9147009.

Kim M, Fleres B, Lovett J, Anfinson M, Samudrala S, et al. Contractility of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Cardiomyocytes With an MYH6 Head Domain Variant Associated With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020;8:440. Published 2020 Jun 23. doi:10.3389/fcell.2020.00440 

Meeting Abstracts

M Anfinson, S Creighton, P Simpson, J James, P Lim, P Frommelt, A Tomita-Mitchell, ME Mitchell. MYH6 variants result in significant reduction in systolic and diastolic atrial function in neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Washington DC. August 2023. [Oral]

M Anfinson, S Creighton, J James, P Frommelt, P Simpson, ME Mitchell, A Tomita-Mitchell. Impact of MYH6 variants on development and clinical course of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Midwest Pediatric Cardiology Society Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. October 2022. [Oral]

Anfinson M, Thareja S, Cavanaugh M, Brown R, Stutzman M, Radandt J, Kim MS, Liang HL, Mitchell ME, Fitts R, Tomita-Mitchell A. The novel MYH6-E1584K tail domain variant associated with hypoplastic left heart syndrome leads to hypercontractility in vitro. Weinstein Cardiovascular Development Conference, Marseilles, France. May 2022. [Oral]

M Anfinson, S Creighton, J James, P Frommelt, P Simpson, ME Mitchell, A Tomita-Mitchell. Impact of MYH6 variants on development and clinical course of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. National MD/PhD Student Conference. Virtual. July 2021. [Oral]

M Anfinson, MS Kim, J Lough, G Geddes, J James, A Geurts, M Mitchell, A Tomita-Mitchell. A novel MYH6-E1503V variant in a family with a history of heart disease, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Experimental Biology, Orlando, FL. April 2019. [Poster]

M Quintanilla, A Knutson, K Pundsack, E Boysen, B Kor, M Reagan. Use of decongestants may disrupt cell signaling pathways that control Tbx gene expression, leading to Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Mayo Clinic IMPACT Symposium. Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine, Rochester, MN. February 2015. [Oral and Poster]

ML Quintanilla, KL Mathewson, R Jones, KW Olsen. Synthesis of folate-targeted protein-based photodynamic therapy agents. Poster Presentation. Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference. Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL. October 2013. [Poster] 

General Interests

Running, dogs, and home renovations