Research Summary

Dr. Matthew L. Springer received his BA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1985 and his PhD from Stanford University in 1992. He did postdoctoral research at Stanford and continued his research there as a senior scientist until joining the UCSF faculty in 2003, where he is currently one of two non-clinicians on the faculty of the Division of Cardiology. The close juxtaposition of his basic research background with the clinical cardiologists in the Division has resulted in an active translational research program.

Dr. Springer's research interests include cell therapy and gene therapy approaches to studying cardiovascular disease, with the goals of exploring potential treatments and understanding underlying mechanisms involved in angiogenesis, vascular function, and treatments for myocardial infarction. The laboratory is studying the therapeutic effects of ultrasound-guided bone marrow cell implantation into the heart after myocardial infarction, with a special emphasis on the therapeutic implications of the age and cardiac disease state of the cell donor. Similarly, the lab is studying the effects of age and disease on circulating angiogenic cells (sometimes called endothelial progenitor cells), with a focus on the roles of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and nitric oxide in the function of these cells. The main angiogenesis interest is how cardiac motion and cyclical forces influences angiogenic gene expression and cell behavior. Currently, a large effort involves the study of vascular reactivity using a rat model of endothelium-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation that they developed, and how vascular endothelial function is affected by exposure to secondhand smoke from tobacco and marijuana.

Research Funding

  • July 1, 2021 - October 13, 2023 - Effects of Chronic Cannabis Use on Endothelial Function , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: CA Department of Cannabis Control, Sponsor Award ID: Grant RG-1603151328-913
  • September 1, 2018 - June 30, 2023 - Integrated Health, Behavioral and Economic Research on Current and Emerging Tobacco Products , PI of Project 3, Cardiovascular Health Effects of Emerging Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco Products . Sponsor: NIH/NHLBI, Sponsor Award ID: U54HL147127
  • November 25, 2020 - March 31, 2022 - Upregulation of SARS-CoV-2 receptor and activation proteases by marijuana smoke and e-cigarette aerosols , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH/NIDA, Sponsor Award ID: R21DA050995-S (supplement)
  • April 15, 2020 - March 31, 2022 - Validation of NIDA research marijuana as a model for cardiovascular research , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21DA050995

Education

University of California, Berkeley, CA, B.A., 1981-1985, Molecular Biology
Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Ph.D., 1985-1991, Biological Sciences
Stanford University, Stanford, CA, (postdoctoral), 1991-1993, Cell Biology/Biochemistry
Stanford University, Stanford, CA, (postdoctoral), 1993-1997, Molecular Pharmacology

Honors & Awards

  • 1985
    President, Molecular Biology Undergraduate Society, UC Berkeley
  • 1985
    Selected graduation speaker, Department of Molecular Biology, UC Berkeley
  • 1985
    Graduated with distinction, UC Berkeley
  • 1987
    Award for Exceptional Contributions in Teaching, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University
  • 1988-1989
    Elected Graduate Student Representative, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Stanford University
  • 2008
    4th place winner (out of >2000), Nikon Small World Competition for microscopy
  • 2012
    3rd Annual Vascular Biology Center Student’s Choice Speaker, Georgia Health Sciences University
  • 2019
    Dean's Apple Award (teaching), School of Pharmacy, UCSF

Selected Publications

  1. Desai T, Mohindra P, Zhong J, Fang Q, Huynh C, Cuylear D, Qiu H, Gao D, Kharbikar B, Huang X, Springer M, Lee R. Local delivery of decorin via hyaluronic acid microrods improves cardiac performance and ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. Res Sq. 2023 Feb 08.  View on PubMed
  2. Qiu H, Zhang H, Han DD, Derakhshandeh R, Wang X, Goyal N, Navabzadeh M, Rao P, Wilson EE, Mohammadi L, Olgin JE, Springer ML. Increased vulnerability to atrial and ventricular arrhythmias caused by different types of inhaled tobacco or marijuana products. Heart Rhythm. 2023 Jan; 20(1):76-86.  View on PubMed
  3. Mohammadi L, Han DD, Xu F, Huang A, Derakhshandeh R, Rao P, Whitlatch A, Cheng J, Keith RJ, Hamburg NM, Ganz P, Hellman J, Schick SF, Springer ML. Chronic E-Cigarette Use Impairs Endothelial Function on the Physiological and Cellular Levels. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2022 11; 42(11):1333-1350.  View on PubMed
  4. Nabavizadeh P, Liu J, Rao P, Ibrahim S, Han DD, Derakhshandeh R, Qiu H, Wang X, Glantz SA, Schick SF, Springer ML. Impairment of Endothelial Function by Cigarette Smoke Is Not Caused by a Specific Smoke Constituent, but by Vagal Input From the Airway. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2022 11; 42(11):1324-1332.  View on PubMed
  5. Strongin RM, Sharma E, Erythropel HC, El-Hellani A, Kassem NOF, Mikheev VB, No?l A, Peyton DH, Springer ML. Emerging ENDS products and challenges in tobacco control toxicity research. Tob Control. 2022 Jun 17.  View on PubMed
  6. Rao P, Han DD, Tan K, Mohammadi L, Derakhshandeh R, Navabzadeh M, Goyal N, Springer ML. Comparable Impairment of Vascular Endothelial Function by a Wide Range of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Devices. Nicotine Tob Res. 2022 06 15; 24(7):1055-1062.  View on PubMed
  7. Leila Mohammadi, Daniel D Han, Xiaohui Fang, Fengyun Xu, Ronak Derakhshandeh, Judith Hellman, Jeffrey Gotts, Matthew L Springer. Abstract 11496: Increased Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Permeability by E-Cigarette Aerosol: The Pathway from Lung to Peripheral Blood Vessels. Circulation. 2021 Nov 16; 144(Suppl_1):a11496-a11496.  View on PubMed
  8. Daniel D Han, Fengyun Xu, Ronak Derakhshandeh, Abel Huang, Adam Whitlatch, Rachel J Keith, Naomi Hamburg, Peter Ganz, Judith Hellman, Suzaynn Schick, Matthew L Springer, Leila Mohammadi. Abstract 9929: Inhibition of Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE) Reduces E-Cigarette-Induced Increase in Endothelial Permeability. Circulation. 2021 Nov 16; 144(Suppl_1):a9929-a9929.  View on PubMed
  9. Springer ML. Letter to the Editor. Am J Infect Control. 2021 04; 49(4):530-531.  View on PubMed
  10. Wang X, Chacon LI, Derakhshandeh R, Rodriguez HJ, Han DD, Kostyushev DS, Henry TD, Traverse JH, Moy? L, Simari RD, Taylor DA, Springer ML. Impaired therapeutic efficacy of bone marrow cells from post-myocardial infarction patients in the TIME and LateTIME clinical trials. PLoS One. 2020; 15(8):e0237401.  View on PubMed
  11. Rao P, Liu J, Springer ML. JUUL and Combusted Cigarettes Comparably Impair Endothelial Function. Tob Regul Sci. 2020 Jan; 6(1):30-37.  View on PubMed
  12. Lee WH, Ong SG, Zhou Y, Tian L, Bae HR, Baker N, Whitlatch A, Mohammadi L, Guo H, Nadeau KC, Springer ML, Schick SF, Bhatnagar A, Wu JC. Modeling Cardiovascular Risks of E-Cigarettes With Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Endothelial Cells. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 06 04; 73(21):2722-2737.  View on PubMed
  13. Nabavizadeh P, Liu J, Havel CM, Ibrahim S, Derakhshandeh R, Jacob Iii P, Springer ML. Vascular endothelial function is impaired by aerosol from a single IQOS HeatStick to the same extent as by cigarette smoke. Tob Control. 2018 11; 27(Suppl 1):s13-s19.  View on PubMed
  14. An S, Wang X, Ruck MA, Rodriguez HJ, Kostyushev DS, Varga M, Luu E, Derakhshandeh R, Suchkov SV, Kogan SC, Hermiston ML, Springer ML. Age-Related Impaired Efficacy of Bone Marrow Cell Therapy for Myocardial Infarction Reflects a Decrease in B Lymphocytes. Mol Ther. 2018 07 05; 26(7):1685-1693.  View on PubMed
  15. Gotts JE, Chun L, Abbott J, Fang X, Takasaka N, Nishimura SL, Springer ML, Schick SF, Calfee CS, Matthay MA. Cigarette smoke exposure worsens acute lung injury in antibiotic-treated bacterial pneumonia in mice. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2018 07 01; 315(1):L25-L40.  View on PubMed
  16. Glantz SA, Halpern-Felsher B, Springer ML. Marijuana, Secondhand Smoke, and Social Acceptability. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 01 01; 178(1):13-14.  View on PubMed
  17. Wang X, Derakhshandeh R, Liu J, Narayan S, Nabavizadeh P, Le S, Danforth OM, Pinnamaneni K, Rodriguez HJ, Luu E, Sievers RE, Schick SF, Glantz SA, Springer ML. One Minute of Marijuana Secondhand Smoke Exposure Substantially Impairs Vascular Endothelial Function. J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 07 27; 5(8).  View on PubMed
  18. Springer ML. San Francisco Medicine. CANNABIS: Clearing some smoke?. 2016; 2(89):26.  View on PubMed
  19. Aschbacher K, Derakhshandeh R, Flores AJ, Narayan S, Mendes WB, Springer ML. Circulating angiogenic cell function is inhibited by cortisol in vitro and associated with psychological stress and cortisol in vivo. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2016 May; 67:216-23.  View on PubMed
  20. Chen Q, Varga M, Wang X, Haddad DJ, An S, Medzikovic L, Derakhshandeh R, Kostyushev DS, Zhang Y, Clifford BT, Luu E, Danforth OM, Rafikov R, Gong W, Black SM, Suchkov SV, Fineman JR, Heiss C, Aschbacher K, Yeghiazarians Y, Springer ML. Overexpression of Nitric Oxide Synthase Restores Circulating Angiogenic Cell Function in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: Implications for Autologous Cell Therapy for Myocardial Infarction. J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Jan 06; 5(1).  View on PubMed

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