Dr. Darren Freed
– Regenerative Cardiology

Dr. Darren Freed, MD, PhD, FRCS(C)
Cardiac Surgeon
Head, Surgical Heart Failure Program, WRHA Cardiac Sciences Program
Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Manitoba

Research Focus

The primary aim of Dr. Freed’s research program is to identify innovative therapeutic options for the treatment of advanced heart failure, with a particular emphasis on the mechanisms of myocardial infarction, cardiac fibrosis and cardiac wound healing as well as cardiac transplantation. His diverse training as a cardiac surgeon, with a PhD in physiology, advanced surgical training in heart failure, including cardiac transplantation, and current appointment as Head of the Surgical Heart Failure Program within the WRHA Cardiac Sciences program provides a unique opportunity to take clinically relevant problems to the basic science laboratory and take solutions back to the clinic. Thus the mandate of the Regenerative Cardiology Laboratory is that of translation, with special emphasis on the clinical applicability of the research questions. Two themes underpin this research program: 1) the cellular mechanisms of cardiac wound healing and repair, focusing on the contribution of mesenchymal stem cells, and 2) improving cardiac transplantation via optimizing donor hearts and expanding the number of donor hearts through identification of a novel, untapped source. Thus Dr. Freed has initiated a research program that is a balance of clinical and basic cardiovascular sciences unique in Manitoba.

About Dr. Freed

Dr. Darren Freed is a Cardiac Surgeon and Head, Surgical Heart Failure Program with the WRHA Cardiac Sciences Program, and is a Principal Investigator, Regenerative Cardiology Laboratory, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface General Hospital. He completed a Clinical Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Ventricular Assist Devices at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, United Kingdom. In addition to completing a Cardiac Surgery residency at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Freed also obtained a PhD in Physiology. He is currently an Assistant Professor, Section of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, and holds a cross appointment in the Department of Physiology, University of Manitoba. He is an Affiliated Scientist with the National Research Council, Institute of Biodiagnostics, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

For more information,please contact:

Dr. Darren Freed
dfreed@sbgh.mb.ca

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Santiago JJ, Dangerfield AL, Rattan SG, Bathe KL, Cunnington RH, Raizman JE, Bedosky KM, Freed DH, Kardami E, and Dixon IMC. Cardiac fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation in vitro: expression of focal adhesion components in neonatal and adult rat ventricular myofibroblasts. In press, Developmental Dynamics.

Freed DH, Thomson BM, Berman M, Tsui SS, Dunning J, Sheares KK, Pepke-Zaba J, Jenkins DP. Survival After Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy: Impact of Residual Pulmonary Hypertension. In press, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Freed DH, Henzler D, White CW, Fowler R, Zarychanski R, Hutchison J, Arora RC, Manji RA, Legare JF, Drews T, Veroukis S, Kesselman M, Guerguerian AM, Kumar A, and the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group. Extracorporeal Lung Support for Patients who had Severe Respiratory Failure Secondary to Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Infection in Canada. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia. 2010 Jan 16. [Epub ahead of print].

Wang L, Deng J, Tian W, Xiang B, Yang T, Li G, Wang J, Gruwel M, Kashour T, Rendell J, Glogowski M, Tomanek B, Freed DH, Deslauriers R, Arora RC, Tian G. Adipose-derived Stem Cells Are an Effective Therapy for Heart Failure-An In Vivo Rat Heart Study Using MR Imaging. American Journal of Physiology, Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 2009 Sep; 297(3):H1020-31.

Wang L, Deng J, Wang J, Xiang B, Yang T, Gruwel M, Kashour T, Tomanek B, Summer R, Freed DH, Jassal DS, Glogowski M, Deslauriers R, Arora RC, Tian G. SPIO Does Not Affect Viability and Function of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells and SPIO-Enhanced MRI Identifies Viable Cells. Magn Reson Imaging 2009 Jan; 27(1):108-119.

Freed DH, Cunnington RH, Dangerfield AL, Sutton JA, Dixon IMC. Emerging Evidence for the Role of Cardiotrophin-1 in Cardiac Repair in the Infarcted Heart. Cardiovascular Research, 2005 Mar 1; 65(4): 782-92.

Freed DH, Moon MC, Borowiec AM, Jones SC, Zahradka P and Dixon IMC. Cardiotrophin-1: Expression in Experimental Myocardial Infarction and Potential Role in Post-MI Wound Healing. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 2003 Dec;254(1-2):247-56.

Freed DH, Borowiec AM, Angelovska T and Dixon IMC. Induction of Protein Synthesis in Cardiac Fibroblasts by Cardiotrophin-1: Integration of Multiple Signaling Pathways. Cardiovascular Research, 2003 Nov 1;60(2):365-75.

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