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Adam J. Chicco, Ph.D.

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Research Interests

• Current projects focus on how changes in cardiac fatty acid metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction contribute to the development and/or progression of heart disease, and how dietary and pharmaceutical interventions may modulate these processes.

Education

• 2004-2007 Postdoctoral Fellow, Integrative Cardiac Biology, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
• 2001-2004 Ph.D., Exercise Physiology, Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
• 1997-1999 M.Ed., Exercise Physiology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
• 1989-1993 B.A. Philosophy/Business Management, Marietta College, Marietta, OH

Professional Organizations

• American Heart Association
• American Physiological Society
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• International Society for Heart Research
• American College of Sports Medicine Clinical Exercise Specialist

Awards and Fellowships

• 2008-2012 American Heart Association (National) Scientist Development Grant "Interaction of cardiolipin and fatty acid metabolism in the failing heart: role in mitochondrial dysfunction" $308,000
• 2008-2010 USDA Colorado Agricultural Experimental Station Research Project Grant. "Influence of unsaturated fatty acids on myocardial injury in the healthy and hypertrophied heart: focus on cardiolipin and mitochondrial function" $47,000
• 2007-2008 National Institutes of Health/NHLBI Small Business Innovation Research Grant (SBIR, R43) (Co-I) "Characterization and development of a new animal model of pulmonary hypertension" $101,000
• 2006-2007 American Heart Association ? Pacific Mountain Affiliate Postdoctoral Fellowship. "Aberrant Cardiolipin Remodeling in Heart Failure: Mechanisms, Modulation and Pathophysiological Significance" $89,272 * Recipient of American Heart Association (PMA) Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
• 2006-2007 Individual National Research Service Award (F32)- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH) "Aberrant Cardiolipin Remodeling in Heart Disease" (Award declined for AHA fellowship)
• 2006-2007 University of Colorado Center for Human Nutrition Research Pilot and Feasibility Grant (Co-I) "Mechanism of the prevention of heart failure with linoleic acid supplementation" $60,000
• 2006-2007 Barth Syndrome Foundation Research Grant "Regulation of cardiolipin remodeling in the heart" (Co-PI with Genevieve Sparagna, PhD) $40,000

Recent Publications

• Chicco AJ, Sparagna GC, McCune SA, Johnson CA, Murphy RC, Bolden DA, Rees ML, Gardner RT, Moore RL. Linoleate-rich high-fat diet decreases mortality in hypertensive heart failure rats compared with lard and low-fat diets. Hypertension. 52(3):549-55, 2008.
• Chicco AJ, McCune SA, Emter CA, Sparagna GC, Rees ML, Marshall KD, Moore RL. Low-intensity exercise training delays heart failure and improves survival in female hypertensive heart failure rats. Hypertension. 51(4):1096-103, 2008.
• Chicco AJ. Exercise training in prevention and rehabilitation: which training mode is best? Minerva Cardioangiol 56(5):557-70, 2008.
• Lu L, Reiter MJ, Xu Y, Greyson CR, Chicco AJ, Schwartz GG. Thiazolidinedione Drugs Block Cardiac KATP Channels and May Increase Propensity for Ischemic Ventricular Fibrillation in Pigs Diabetologia, 51(4):675-85, 2008.
• Chicco AJ, Sparagna GC. Role of cardiolipin alterations in mitochondrial dysfunction and disease. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 292:C33-C44, 2007.
• Sparagna GC*, Chicco AJ*, Murphy RC, Bristow MR, Johnson CA, Rees ML, Maxey ML, McCune SA, Moore RL. Loss of cardiac tetralinoleoyl cardiolipin in human and experimental heart failure. J Lipid Res, 48(7):1559-70, 2007. *Contributed equally to this work.
• Chicco AJ, Johnson MS, Armstrong CJ, Lynch JM, Gardner RT, Fasen GS, Gillenwater CP, Moore RL. Sex-specific and exercise-acquired cardioprotection is abolished by sarcolemmal KATP channel blockade in the rat heart Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 292(5):H2423-7, 2007.
• Watson PA, Reusch JE-B, McCune SA, Leinwand LA, Luckey SW, Konhilas JP, Brown DA, Chicco AJ, Long CS, Moore RL. Restoration of CREB Function is Linked to Completion and Stabilization of Adaptive Cardiac Hypertrophy in Response to Exercise. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 293(1):H246-59, 2007.
• Chicco AJ, McCarty H, Reed AH, Story RR, Westerlind KC, Turner RT, Hayward R. Resistance exercise training attenuates ethanol-induced cardiac oxidative stress. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehab 13:74-79, 2006.
• Chicco AJ, Schneider CM, Hayward R. Cardioprotective effect of moderate exercise training during doxorubicin treatment in rats. J Appl Physiol. 100:519-527, 2006.
• Chicco AJ, Schneider CM, Hayward R. Exercise training attenuates acute doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 47:181-188, 2006.
• Chicco AJ, Schneider CM, Hayward R. Voluntary exercise training protects against acute doxorubicin toxicity in the isolated perfused rat heart. Am J Physiol 289:R424-R431, 2005.
• Brown DA, Chicco AJ, Jew KN, Johnson MS, Lynch JM, Watson PA, Moore RL. Cardioprotection afforded by chronic exercise is mediated by the sarcolemmal, and not the mitochondrial, isoform of the KATP channel in the rat J Physiol 569:913-924, 2005.

Professional Presentations

• Colorado State University, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, Physiology Seminar Series, November 2008: "Cardiolipin alterations in heart failure: mechanisms, modulation and pathophysiological significance"
• American Heart Association AHA Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, Colorado Springs, CO, March 12, 2008 (Nutrition session moderator and presenter): "Linoleate-rich diet preserves mitochondrial respiratory capacity and systolic function in the failing heart: role of cardiolipin"
• Gilead Sciences, In vivo research group seminar, Westminster, CO. July 2007: "Development and characterization of a new genetic model of pulmonary hypertension"
• Colorado State University, Department of Health and Exercise Science Seminar Series, February 2007: "Aberrant cardiolipin remodeling in hypertensive heart disease: mechanisms, modulation and metabolic implications"
• University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Department of Cardiology, Denver, CO, October 2006: "Cardiac cardiolipin alterations in heart failure: mechanisms and modulation"
• Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism Meeting, Semiahmoo, WA, September 2006: "Cardiac cardiolipin alterations in heart failure: mechanisms and modulation"
• American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Dallas, TX, November 2005: "Cardioprotection afforded by chronic exercise training is mediated by the sarcolemmal, and not the mitochondrial isoform of the KATP channel."
• American College of Sports Medicine Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting, Frisco, CO. February, 2004: "Exercise Training Protects Against Acute Doxorubicin Toxicity"
• American College of Sports Medicine Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting, Denver, CO. February, 2003: "Endurance and resistance exercise training attenuate ethanol-induced cardiac oxidative stress"