Sidney Levitsky, MD

About Sidney Levitsky, MD

Cheever Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

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Research Focus

The primary focus of the laboratory is to elucidate the mechanisms and subcellular localization of biochemical and molecular events contributing to myocardial cell death. In particular, we are interested in the discriminant and/or coordinate contribution of necrosis and apoptosis to myocardial cell death in the mature and aged male and female, with particular emphasis on the development of novel and specific cardioprotective protocols. Study designs utilize models of stunning and ischemia/reperfusion injury in the isolated Langendorff perfused and the in situ blood perfused heart to determine the relative contribution of these pathways in the aged as compared  to the mature male and female cardiac surgical patient. 

Selected Publications

Friehs I, Cowan DB, Choi Y-C, Black KM, Barnett R, Bhasin MK, Daly C, Dillon SJ, Libermann TA, McGowan FX, del Nido PJ, Levitsky S, McCully JD. Pressure-overload hypertrophy of the developing heart reveals activation of divergent gene and protein pathways in the left and right ventricular myocardium. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2013;304:H697-708.

Masuzawa A, Black KM, Pacak CA, Ericsson M, Barnett RJ, Drumm C, Seth P, Bloch DB, Levitsky S, Cowan DB, McCully JD. Transplantation of autologously-derived mitochondria protects the heart from ischemia-reperfusion injury. Am J Phys Heart Circ Physiol 2013;304:H966.

Levitsky S, McCully JD. Myocardial Protection. Chapter 66. In: Sellke FW, Swanson S, del Nido P. Eds. Sabiston & Spencer Surgery of the Chest, 8th Edition. Philadelphia, PA. 2013

Levitsky S, Chitwood WR, Orringer MB, Mack MJ: Education above and beyond: Innovative STS educational initiatives. Ann Thorac Surg 2014;97:S29-S33.

Preble JM, Kondo H, Levitsky S, McCully JD: Quality control parameters for mitochondria transplant in cardiac tissue. JSM Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; in press.