Brian R. Weil PhD

Brian Weil

Brian R. Weil
PhD

Assistant Professor

Department of Physiology and Biophysics

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences


Specialty/Research Focus

Apoptosis and cell death; Cardiac pharmacology; Cardiology; Cardiovascular Disease; Inflammation; Pathophysiology; Stem Cells; Translational imaging; Translational Research

Contact Information
Clinical and Translational Research Center
Suite 7030
875 Ellicott Street
Buffalo, New York 14203
Phone: 716-829-3599
Fax: 716-854-1840
bweil@buffalo.edu



Professional Summary:

My research program is focused on investigating mechanisms of cardiac dysfunction and structural remodeling in heart disease, as well as identifying novel therapeutic interventions to prevent or reverse the deleterious consequences of acute and chronic ischemia- and/or hemodynamic overload-induced injury. These studies generally utilize non-invasive cardiovascular imaging techniques and invasive hemodynamic assessment to assess cardiac performance in vivo in preclinical experimental models, along with ex vivo analysis of myocardial tissue to examine cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying observed changes in physiological function. Using this approach, we aim to conduct impactful translational research with direct relevance to the pathophysiology and treatment of human heart disease.

Ongoing research in my laboratory is focused in two areas:

1. Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Enhance Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Minimize Multi-Organ Injury After Cardiac Arrest.
In an effort to improve the dismal clinical outcomes associated with sudden cardiac arrest, our research in this area is directed towards (1) improved understanding of the role of the innate immune response to systemic ischemia and reperfusion in the context of cardiac arrest and resuscitation and (2) identification of novel interventions to reduce multi-organ injury in this setting. One hypothesis to be tested is that mobilization of inflammatory leukocytes from the spleen is an integral component of the systemic inflammatory response that exacerbates multi-organ injury following resuscitation from cardiac arrest. Completion of studies to test this hypothesis and identify mechanisms underlying post-resuscitation inflammation is expected to reveal novel therapeutic opportunities, such as the use of ß2-adrenergic receptor antagonists, CCR2 inhibitors, or allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells to attenuate leukocyte mobilization, infiltration, and behavior after cardiac arrest. In addition, an ongoing collaborative effort with a small, New York State-based pharmaceutical company (Pro-Al Medico Technologies) aims to develop a novel nanoparticle formulation of thyroid hormone (T3np) for use as a resuscitative therapy to replace epinephrine as the drug of choice in advanced cardiac life support protocols.

2. Mechanisms and Reversibility of Cardiac Fibrosis and Myocardial Stiffening in Heart Failure.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has emerged as the most common form of heart failure, but the poor understanding of how it develops has made it difficult to devise effective treatments. Ongoing research in my laboratory aims to address this problem by examining how repetitive stretch-induced remodeling of the non-cellular components of heart muscle (i.e., the cardiac extracellular matrix; ECM) leads to persistent fibrotic collagen deposition and a sustained reduction in cardiac compliance in HFpEF. To do so, we have developed a novel porcine model of repetitive pressure overload (RPO), in which episodic mechanical stretch associated with intermittent hypertension produces a pattern of cardiac remodeling exhibited by many HFpEF patients characterized by reduced myocardial compliance and increased interstitial fibrosis in the absence of overt left ventricular hypertrophy or sustained hypertension. Ongoing and future projects utilizing this model are designed to (1) determine how repetitive stretch-induced injury activates pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic signaling in the heart, (2) assess whether coronary microvascular dysfunction is involved in this pattern of remodeling, and (3) evaluate novel therapeutic interventions to prevent or reverse hypertrophy-independent myocardial stiffening by targeting remodeling of the cardiac ECM. In addition, we have recently collected intriguing preliminary data from a separate porcine model that support the novel hypothesis that repetitive stretch-induced myocardial stiffening may play a mechanistic role in the development of HFpEF in patients with chronic coronary artery disease.

Education and Training:

  • PhD, Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado - Boulder (2011)
  • MS, Exercise Science, Syracuse University (2007)
  • BS, Clinical Exercise Science, Ithaca College (2005)

Employment:

  • Assistant Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2019-present)
  • Research Assistant Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2016–2019)
  • Post Doctoral Fellow, Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2011–2016)

Awards and Honors:

  • Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Award for Excellence in Teaching (Nomination); Teaching in the Preclinical Program (2024)
  • Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Award for Excellence in Teaching (Nomination); Teaching in the Preclinical Program (2023)
  • Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Award for Excellence in Teaching; Teaching in the Preclinical Program (2022)
  • Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Award for Excellence in Teaching (Honorable Mention); Teaching in the Preclinical Program (2021)
  • Harold Brody/Medical Emeritus Faculty Society Award for Translational Research (2015)
  • Cardiovascular Section; Clinical Science Young Investigator Award (2012)

Research Centers:

  • Center for Research in Cardiovascular Medicine

Grants and Sponsored Research:

  • October 2020–September 2028
    Preventing and Reversing Interstitial Fibrosis in HFpEF
    Veteran's Affairs Merit Review Award
    Role: Co-Investigator
    $709,984
  • April 2023–March 2027
    Repetitive Stretch-Induced Myocardial Stiffening in Chronic Coronary Artery Disease
    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $1,037,189
  • January 2022–December 2026
    Immunomodulatory Therapy After Resuscitation From Cardiac Arrest
    National Institutes of Health (NHLBI)
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $2,278,145
  • January 2024–December 2025
    Predoctoral Fellowship for Tyler Rolland: "Mechanisms of Mitochondrial DNA-mediated Immune Activation in Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome"
    American Heart Association
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • January 2022–December 2023
    Investigation of Myocardial Sympathetic Denervation as a Novel Mechanism of Ischemia-Induced Pulseless Electrical Activity Cardiac Arrest
    The ZOLL Foundation
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $47,740
  • September 2020–August 2022
    Pathophysiology of Left Ventricular Stiffening in Heart Failure
    National Institutes of Health (NHLBI)
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $397,476
  • January 2021–December 2021
    Targeting Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction to Treat Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
    UB CTSI Translational Pilot Studies Program
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $41,164
  • January 2020–August 2021
    T3np Neuroprotection Following Cardiac Arrest
    UB Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $20,890
  • July 2017–June 2020
    Pathophysiology of Myocardial Remodeling in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
    American Heart Association
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $231,000
  • December 2018–November 2019
    Preclinical Evaluation of Systemic Cellular Postconditioning as a Novel Cardioprotective and Neuroprotective Therapy Following Cardiac Arrest
    The ZOLL Foundation
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $30,775
  • July 2018–June 2019
    T3np in Cardiac Resuscitation – Pivotal Pre-Clinical Trial
    UB Center for Advanced Biomedical and Bioengineering Technology
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $182,528
  • June 2018–May 2019
    Quantitative Proteomics and Phosphoproteomics of Stretch-induced Myocardial Stunning and Adaptive Left Ventricular Stiffening in Swine
    Proteomics and Bioanalysis Core Seed Fund
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $15,000
  • April 2018–March 2019
    Pre-Clinical Evaluation of a Novel Antibody-Based Therapy to Improve Cardiac Repair After Acute Myocardial Infarction
    UB CTSI Translational Pilot Studies Program
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $48,746
  • November 2018
    Novel Biomarkers of Extracellular Matrix Expansion and Interstitial Fibrosis in Heart Failure
    The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
    Role: Principal Investigator
See all (4 more)

Journal Articles:

See all (43 more)

Abstracts:

  • Allen, S, Ang, S, Smith, C, Techiryan, G, Canty J, Weil BR. (2019) Deterioration of Hemodynamic Support During Prolonged Mechanical CPR in a Porcine Model of Cardiac Arrest. AHA Resuscitation Symposium 2019, (Nov) 2049-2064
  • Weil BR, Allen, S, Barbaccia, B, Young, R, Palka, B, Canty J. (2019) A Blinded, Randomized, Vehicle-Controlled Preclinical Trial of Novel Nanoparticle Formulations of Triiodothyronine in Cardiac Arrest. American Heart Association - Resuscitation Science Symposium 2019, (Nov)

Professional Memberships:

  • Fellow, American Physiological Society Cardiovascular Section (2024–present)
  • American Physiological Society (2017–present)
  • American Heart Association (2011–present)

Presentations:

  • "Porcine Model of Intermittent Hypertension-induced Myocardial Stiffening and Fibrosis" U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Virtual Field-Based Meeting (2024)
  • "Stretch-Induced Myocardial Injury and Cardiac Remodeling in Heart Failure" Northeast Ohio Medical University Integrative Medical Sciences Departmental Seminar Series (2023)
  • "Mechanisms and Consequences of Stretch-Induced Myocardial Injury" University at Buffalo CTSI Work-In-Progress Seminar Series (2022)
  • "Novel Causes and Consequences of Myocardial Injury" University of Missouri Department of Biomedical Sciences Seminar Series (2021)
  • "Novel Causes and Consequences of Myocardial Injury" University at Buffalo Department of Physiology and Biophysics Seminar Series (2020)
  • "Pre-Clinical Evaluation of a Novel Antibody-Based Therapy to Improve Cardiac Repair After Acute Myocardial Infarction" University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute Annual Research Colloquium (2020)
  • "Novel Mechanisms and Consequences of Cardiomyocyte Loss in Heart Disease" University at Buffalo Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Seminar Series (2018)
  • "Lost in Clinical Translation: Cell-Based Therapy for Ischemic Heart Disease" Ithaca College Department of Biology Seminar Series; Seminar Title (2018)
  • "Therapeutic Strategies to Promote Cardiac Myocyte Survival and Regeneration in Ischemic Heart Disease" University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Research Center Seminar Series (2017)
  • "Cell-Based Therapy to Promote Myocardial Repair in Ischemic Heart Disease" University at Buffalo Department of Physiology and Biophysics Seminar Series (2016)

Service Activities:

  • Peer Reviewer, Therapeutic Development and Preclinical Studies (TDPS) Study Section (Standing Member) (2024–present)
  • Student Progress Committee (2023–present)
  • Associate Editor, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine; Cardiovascular Biologics and Regenerative Medicine Section (2023–present)
  • Peer Reviewer, Basic Biology of Blood, Heart, and Vasculature (BBHV) Study Section (Ad-Hoc) (2023–present)
  • Member; Programming Committee of the American Physiological Society Cardiovascular Section (2023–present)
  • Peer Reviewer, Therapeutic Development and Preclinical Studies (TDPS) Study Section (Ad-Hoc) (2022–2023)
  • Chair; Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC); Veteran's Affairs Medical Center of Western New York (2022–present)
  • Invited Panelist; Ithaca College Department of Biology Capstone Course: "Careers in Science" (2022)
  • Search Committee Member; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Assistant Professor (2022)
  • Peer Reviewer; Veteran's Affairs Cardiovascular Studies (CAR-A) Review Panel (2021–present)
  • Peer Reviewer; National Institutes of Health, Clinical Integrative Cardiovascular and Hematological Sciences Study Section (Ad-Hoc) (2021–present)
  • Phase 1 Sub-Committee of the Standing Committee on Medical Curriculum (2020–present)
  • The Human Cardiovascular System (IMC602); Course Director (2020–present)
  • Member; Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC); Veteran's Affairs Medical Center of Western New York (2020–2022)
  • Peer Reviewer; American Heart Association; Peer Reviewer (2020–present)
  • Search Committee Member; School of Public Health and Health Professions; Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Assistant Professor (2019–2020)
  • PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (PPBS) Admissions Committee (2019–2020)
  • Standing Committee on Medical Curriculum (2018–2021)
  • Search Committee Member; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Assistant to the Chair (2018)
  • Faculty Council; Committee Member (2018–2020)
  • Chair; Hermann Rahn Memorial Lectureship Committee (2017–present)
  • Clean Air Coalition of Western New York; Board Member and Chair (2013–2017)
  • Circulation Research, Hypertension, Cardiovascular Research, American Journal of Physiology- Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Journal of Applied Physiology, Heart, Lung and Circulation, Journal of Internal Medicine, Journal of Stem Cell Research and Therapy, Expert Reviews of Cardiovascular Therapy, Annals of Biomedical Engineering; Manuscript Reviewer

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Contact Information

Clinical and Translational Research Center
Suite 7030
875 Ellicott Street
Buffalo, New York 14203
Phone: 716-829-3599
Fax: 716-854-1840
bweil@buffalo.edu