Director of Research, Director of MIAORTA
University of Michigan / Michigan Medicine
Bo Yang, MD, Ph.D. Director of Research, Dept. of Cardiac surgery, Director of MI-AORTA at the University of Michigan. His clinical expertise spans the range of complex aortic surgical procedures to treat aortic pathologies, such as aortic aneurysms and dissections for patients with bicuspid aortic valve, Marfan’s syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, familial thoracic aortic aneurysm, PRKG1 mutations, and unknown mutations. The procedures include valve-sparing aortic root replacement (David procedure), repair of aortic dissections, thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms through open and endovascular procedures, aortic valve repair. He invented new procedures to enlarge the aortic annulus by 3-4 valve sizes. His clinical research team has focused on outcome researches of aortic surgery and adult cardiac surgery, such as surgical treatment of acute type A aortic dissection, especially those with malperfusion syndrome, aortic valve repair and David procedure, BAV with aortic aneurysm, infectious endocarditis, and small roots in aortic valve replacement.
Basic Science Research: Dr. Yang’s current lab research focuses on the mechanisms of thoracic aortic aneurysms and developing novel therapies to prevent aortic aneurysms. His team use patients induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and gene editing with CRISPR Cas9 to study the mechanisms of aneurysm formation in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), Loyes-Dietz Syndrome. He is also collaborating with bioengineers and to create tissue-engineered vascular graft with patient’s iPSCs. Dr. Yang has been well funded by NIH (two R01s as PI and K08 award) and won numerous research awards: such as AHA Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Award, finalist, AHA Innovative Award, Young investigator of Loeys-Dietz syndrome foundation, Frankel CVC Directors Award of Excellence.