Department of Medicine
Faculty Profiles by Division

Division of Cardiology

Faculty Profiles
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photo Cynthia St Hilaire, PhD, FAHA

Cardiology

Associate Professor of Medicine

Email: sthilaire@pitt.edu

Phone: 412-648-9441
Contact
Office: 1744.1 BST
200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
 
Phone: 412-648-9441
Fax: 412-624-6161
E-mail: sthilaire@pitt.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Diane Margaria
Email: margariad@upmc.edu
Phone: 412-383-6030
Education and Training
Education
PhD, Boston University School of Medicine, 2008
Training
Postdoctoral Fellow - Vascular Biology, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2015
Research Interest
The St. Hilaire lab research program stems from the previous discovery of the genetic disease Arterial Calcification due to Deficiency of CD73 (ACDC), which identified a novel role for the enzyme CD73, and its substrate adenosine, in vascular calcification and vascular remodeling. Moving forward research in the St. Hilaire lab will explore the role of CD73 and adenosine signaling in more complex vascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis, calcific aortic valve disease, and aneurysms using in vitro (primary human and mouse cells and patient-specific induced-pluripotent stem cells) and in vivo (genetically defined murine models and surgical manipulations), with the goal of translating findings in ACDC to more common vascular diseases and pathologies.
Publications
For my complete bibliography, Click Here.
Selected Publications:
St Hilaire C, Ziegler SG, Markello TC, Brusco A, Geoden C, Gill F, Carlson-Donohoe H, Lederman RJ, Chen NMY, Yang D, Siegenthaler MP, Arduino C, Mancini C, Freudental B, Stanescu HC, Zdebik AA, Chaganti RK, Nussbaum FL, Kleta R, Gahl WA, Boehm M. NT5E mutations and arterial calcifications. N Engl J Med PubMed PMID: 21288095; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3049958. 2011; 364(5): 432-42.
Markello TC, Pak LK, St Hilaire C, Dorward H, Ziegler SG, Chen MY, Chaganti K, Nussbaum FL, Boehm M, Gahl WA. Vascular pathology of medial arterial calcifications in NT5E deficiency: Implications for the role of adenosine in pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Mol Genet Metab. 2011; 103 - May 2011: 44-50.
Cooley BC, Nevado J, Mellad J, Yang D, St Hilaire C, Negro A, Fang F, Chen G, San H, Walts AD, Schwartzbeck RL, Taylor B, Lanzer JD, Wragg A, Elagha A, Beltran LE, Berry C, Feil R, Virmani R, Ladich E, Kovacic JC, Boehm M. TGF-ß signaling mediates endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) during vein graft remodeling. Sci Transl Med. 2014; 6(227) - Mar 12 2014: PubMedPMID:24622514_PubMedCentralPMCID:PMC41.
Liu Y, Jesus AA, Marrero B, Yang D, Ramsey SE, Montealegre Sanchez GA, Tenbrock K, Wittkowski H, Jones OY, Kuehn HS, Lee CC, DiMattia MA, Cowen EW, Gonzalez B, Palmer I, DiGiovanna JJ, Biancotto A, Kim H, Tsai WL, Trier AM, Huang Y, Stone DL, Hill S, Kim HJ, St Hilaire C, Gurprasad S, Plass N, Chapelle D, Horkayne-Szakaly I, Foell D, Barysenka A, Candotti F, Holland SM, Hughes JD, Mehmet H, Issekutz AC, Raffeld M, McElwee J, Fontana JR, Minniti CP, Moir S, Kastner DL, Gadina M, Steven AC, Wingfield PT, Brooks SR, Rosenzweig SD, Fleisher TA, Deng Z, Boehm M, Paller AS, Goldbach-Mansky R. Activated STING in a vascular and pulmonary syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2014; 371(6): 507-18.
Lanzer P, Boehm M, Sorribas V, Thiriet M, Janzen J, Zeller C, St Hilaire C, Shanahan. Medial vascular calcification revisited: review and perspectives. Eur Heart J. 2014; 35(23): 1515-1525.
Boehm M, St Hilaire C. Vascular Genetics. PanVascular Medicine, 2nd ed. Lanzer P. (Ed.) Springer Heidelberg New York. 2015; DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-37393-0_4-1: 53-88.
Kovacic JC, Gupta R, Lee AC, Ma M, Fang F, Tolbert CN, Walts AD, Beltran LE, San H, Chen G, St. Hilaire C, Boehm M. Stat3-dependent acute Rantes production in vascular smooth muscle cells modulates inflammation following arterial injury in mice. Journal of Clinical Investigations. 2010; 120(1): 303-14.
Nguyen HG, Makitalo M, Yang D, Chinnappan D, St. Hilaire C, Ravid K. Deregulated Auroa-B induced tetraploidy promotes tumorigenesis. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal. 2009; 23(8): 2741-8.
Sponsored Research/Activities
Title: NETs in calcific aortic valve disease
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: American Heart Association
Grant Number: RES
Start Year: 2021
End Year: 2021
Title: The Role of Telomerase in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute
Grant Number: R01 HL142932
Start Year: 2018
End Year: 2023
Title: The Role of Telomerase in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute
Grant Number: R01 HL142932
Start Year: 2018
End Year: 2023
Title: Altered Biosynthesis and Function of ABCC6 in Systemic Mineralization Disorders
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of General Medical Science
Grant Number: R01 GM122091
Start Year: 2017
End Year: 2021
Title: Altered Biosynthesis and Function of ABCC6 in Systemic Mineralization Disorders
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Institute of General Medical Science
Grant Number: R01 GM122091
Start Year: 2017
End Year: 2021
Notable Achievements
Henry I. Russek Student Achievement Day,, 2008
8th Annual NHLBI Division of Intramural Research, 2010
NHLBI Star Awards, Excellence in Laboratory Basic and Clinical 2010, 2010
Fellows Award for Research Excellence, 2011
Outstanding Poster Award 2011, 2011
Best Peripheral Artery Disease Research Award in 2011, 2011
Orloff Science Award for Outstanding Scientific Contributions, 2012
NHLBI Director’s Award – Outstanding Translational Science, 2013
Orloff Science Award, 2015

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

Department of Medicine
1218 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Email:  chairoff@pitt.edu
Phone:  412-648-9636
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