Carol A. Eisenberg, Ph.D., joined the Department of Physiology at New York Medical College in 2008, following 13 years on the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Eisenberg's scientific career has always included a strong emphasis as educator, administrator, and researcher. At NYMC, she has served as research advisor for four postdoctoral fellows, thesis advisor for two Ph.D. and three M.S. students, as well as lab supervisor for numerous students from medical, undergraduate, and secondary schools. Administrative activities include serving as chair (2014- present) of the GSBMS Course Evaluation Committee, and member of the GSBMS Ph.D. Admissions (2009-21) and Touro College of Dental Medicine Student Academic Performance and Review (2019-) Committees.

Dr. Eisenberg has been a principal investigator for more than 25 years investigating stem cell differentiation in the embryonic and adult heart. Her present research focus is on signaling mechanisms that underlie how myocardial cell health is maintained in the adult, which is investigated in her lab from three distinct, but overlapping vantage points. The first project examines signaling pathways activated in the diseased heart as identified by a specific GATA6 gene enhancer, which serves as a marker for the re-emergence of a fetal gene program in the heart under conditions of stress and disease. The second project involves the development of culture conditions that allow for long-term maintenance of fully differentiated myocardial tissue in culture, as a means for understanding how cardiac cells continues to sustain their viability & functional activity. The third project looks at the cell and molecular events guiding the differentiation of stem cells for replacement cardiomyocytes. These three areas of study are complementary to her laboratory’s overall goal of understanding how the functional capabilities of the adult heart can be preserved throughout life.

Education

• B.S./B.A., Biology, French, Cabrini College
• M.S., Villanova University
• Ph.D., Cell Biology, Cornell University Medical College
• Postdoctoral Training, Cell Biology & Anatomy, Medical University of South Carolina

Research

Dr. Eisenberg's research focus is on the signaling mechanisms that underlie how myocardial cell health is maintained in the adult heart. This topic is investigated in her laboratory from three distinct but overlapping vantage points. The first project examines signaling pathways activated in the diseased heart using the tgG6/lacZ mouse model. The tgG6/lacZ transgenic mouse expresses a β-galactosidase (lacZ) reporter driven by a specific enhancer of the GATA-6 gene, and which serves as a marker for the re-emergence of a fetal gene program in the heart under conditions of stress and disease. The second project involves the development of culture conditions that allow for the long-term maintenance of fully differentiated myocardial tissue in culture, as the means for understanding how the cardiac cells continues to sustain their viability and functional activity. The final project looks at the cell and molecular events guiding the differentiation of stem cells for replacement cardiomyocytes. These three areas of study are complementary to the laboratory’s overall goal of understanding how the functional capabilities of the adult heart can be preserved throughout life.

Publications

• Tartaglia JT, Eisenberg CA, DeMarco JC, et. al. "Mobilization of Endogenous CD34+/CD133+ Endothelial Progenitor Cells by Enhanced External Counter Pulsation for Treatment of Refractory Angina." International journal of molecular sciences, 25(18), (2024) . doi: 10.3390/ijms251810030
• Mitry MA, Laurent D, Keith BL, et. al. "Accelerated cardiomyocyte senescence contributes to late-onset doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity." American journal of physiology. Cell physiology, 318(2), (2020) C380-C391. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00073.2019
• Eisenberg CA, Eisenberg LM. "A Consideration of the Non-Pregnant Human Uterus as a Stem Cell Source for Medical Therapy." Current stem cell research & therapy, 14(1), (2019) 77-78. doi: 10.2174/1574888X1401181217130033
• Borghetti G, Eisenberg CA, Signore S, et. al. "Notch signaling modulates the electrical behavior of cardiomyocytes." American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 314(1), (2018) H68-H81. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00587.2016
• Yang J, Kaur K, Edwards JG, et. al. "Inhibition of Histone Methyltransferase, Histone Deacetylase, and β-Catenin Synergistically Enhance the Cardiac Potential of Bone Marrow Cells." Stem cells international, 2017(), (2017) 3464953. doi: 10.1155/2017/3464953
• Kaur K, Yang J, Edwards JG, et. al. "G9a histone methyltransferase inhibitor BIX01294 promotes expansion of adult cardiac progenitor cells without changing their phenotype or differentiation potential." Cell proliferation, 49(3), (2016) 373-85. doi: 10.1111/cpr.12255
• Yang J, Kaur K, Ong LL, et. al. "Inhibition of G9a Histone Methyltransferase Converts Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Cardiac Competent Progenitors." Stem cells international, 2015(), (2015) 270428. doi: 10.1155/2015/270428

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Professional Service

• New York Medical College Committee on Academic Integrity, Member (2015 - Present)
• New York Medical College Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Course Evaluation Committee, Chair (2014 - Present)
• New York Medical College Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee on Faculty Recruitment and Advancement, Member (2014 - Present)
• New York Medical College Committee on Diversity and Inclusion for LCME Accreditation, Member (2014 - Present)