Research
Dr. Matter’s research has redefined the understanding of heart disease and sepsis by unveiling novel molecular regulators involved in cardiomyopathies and vascular leak that occurs in sepsis. With outstanding colleagues, her research identified a new childhood syndrome (called IMNEPD), an underlying mechanism for the onset of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), which is a devastating condition characterized by heart failure during or shortly after pregnancy, and discovered a new molecular regulator in sepsis. Her team is actively involved in drug discovery and developing targeted therapies for these devastating diseases.
Biography
Dr. Matter was raised in Boulder, Colorado and received a BA in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado and a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Virginia Medical School. After completing her postdoctoral research with Lasker award winner Dr. Erkki Ruoshlati at The Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute in San Diego, California, Dr. Matter joined the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, as an assistant professor. She obtained tenure as associate professor at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and moved to Tulane School of Medicine as a tenured full professor prior to joining The Lundquist Institute.
Professor Matter’s laboratory is focused on cell adhesion signaling and engages diverse interdisciplinary approaches including bioengineering to rigorously interrogate complex biological questions related to mechanisms of disease. Her research has resulted in high-quality publications in scientific journals, including Nature Communications, Cell, PNAS, JCB, JBC, and Cell Death & Discovery. Professor Matter has two patents resulting from her research, is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Oncology, and an Editorial Board Member for Journal of Biological Chemistry and Journal of Personalized Medicine, and serves on study sections at the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.