Jeffrey R. Balser, M.D., Ph.D.

Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
President and CEO, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dean Balser’s research program has been aimed at the pharmacogenomics of cardiac arrhythmias. His studies in Nature, PNAS, and Nature Structural and Molecular Biology have established new paradigms for cardiac excitation-contraction coupling, and are yielding new targets for arrhythmia control.

Research Description

Selected Publications

Levine AS, Alpern RJ, Andrews NC, Antman K, Balser JR, Berg JM, Davis PB, Fitz JG, Golden RN, Goldman L, Jameson JL, Lee VS, Polonsky KS, Rappley MD, Reece EA, Rothman PB, Schwinn DA, Shapiro LJ, Spiegel AM. Research in academic medical centers: two threats to sustainable support. Sci Transl Med. 2015 May 5/27/2015; 7(289): 289fs22. PMID: 26019216, PII: 7/289/289fs22, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aac5200, ISSN: 1946-6242.
Potet F, Lorinc AN, Chaigne S, Hopkins CR, Venkataraman R, Stepanovic SZ, Lewis LM, Days E, Sidorov VY, Engers DW, Zou B, Afshartous D, George AL, Campbell CM, Balser JR, Li M, Baudenbacher FJ, Lindsley CW, Weaver CD, Kupershmidt S. Identification and characterization of a compound that protects cardiac tissue from human Ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG)-related drug-induced arrhythmias. J. Biol. Chem [print-electronic]. 2012 Nov 11/16/2012; 287(47): 39613-25. PMID: 23033485, PMCID: PMC3501040, PII: M112.380162, DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M112.380162, ISSN: 1083-351X.
Ritchie MD, Denny JC, Crawford DC, Ramirez AH, Weiner JB, Pulley JM, Basford MA, Brown-Gentry K, Balser JR, Masys DR, Haines JL, Roden DM. Robust replication of genotype-phenotype associations across multiple diseases in an electronic medical record. Am. J. Hum. Genet [print-electronic]. 2010 Apr 4/9/2010; 86(4): 560-72. PMID: 20362271, PMCID: PMC2850440, PII: S0002-9297(10)00146-1, DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2010.03.003, ISSN: 1537-6605.
Miller BM, Moore DE, Stead WW, Balser JR. Beyond Flexner: a new model for continuous learning in the health professions. Acad Med. 2010 Feb; 85(2): 266-72. PMID: 20107354, PII: 00001888-201002000-00026, DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181c859fb, ISSN: 1938-808X.
Nakajima T, Davies SS, Matafonova E, Potet F, Amarnath V, Tallman KA, Serwa RA, Porter NA, Balser JR, Kupershmidt S, Roberts LJ. Selective gamma-ketoaldehyde scavengers protect Nav1.5 from oxidant-induced inactivation. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol [print-electronic]. 2010 Feb; 48(2): 352-9. PMID: 19962379, PMCID: PMC2818591, PII: S0022-2828(09)00491-X, DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2009.11.016, ISSN: 1095-8584.
Stepanovic SZ, Potet F, Petersen CI, Smith JA, Meiler J, Balser JR, Kupershmidt S. The evolutionarily conserved residue A653 plays a key role in HERG channel closing. J. Physiol. (Lond.) [print-electronic]. 2009 Jun 6/1/2009; 587(Pt 11): 2555-66. PMID: 19406877, PMCID: PMC2714020, PII: jphysiol.2008.166694, DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2008.166694, ISSN: 1469-7793.
Potet F, Chagot B, Anghelescu M, Viswanathan PC, Stepanovic SZ, Kupershmidt S, Chazin WJ, Balser JR. Functional Interactions between Distinct Sodium Channel Cytoplasmic Domains through the Action of Calmodulin. J. Biol. Chem [print-electronic]. 2009 Mar 3/27/2009; 284(13): 8846-54. PMID: 19171938, PMCID: PMC2659242, PII: M806871200, DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M806871200, ISSN: 0021-9258.
Chagot B, Potet F, Balser JR, Chazin WJ. Solution NMR structure of the C-terminal EF-hand domain of human cardiac sodium channel NaV1.5. J. Biol. Chem [print-electronic]. 2009 Mar 3/6/2009; 284(10): 6436-45. PMID: 19074138, PMCID: PMC2649110, PII: M807747200, DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M807747200, ISSN: 0021-9258.
Potet F, Petersen CI, Boutaud O, Shuai W, Stepanovic SZ, Balser JR, Kupershmidt S. Genetic screening in C. elegans identifies rho-GTPase activating protein 6 as novel HERG regulator. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol [print-electronic]. 2009 Feb; 46(2): 257-67. PMID: 19038263, PMCID: PMC2708093, PII: S0022-2828(08)01357-6, DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2008.10.015, ISSN: 1095-8584.
Brown AM, Morrow JD, Limbird LE, Byrne DW, Gabbe SG, Balser JR, Brown NJ. Centralized oversight of physician-scientist faculty development at Vanderbilt: early outcomes. Acad Med. 2008 Oct; 83(10): 969-75. PMID: 18820531, PMCID: PMC3780596, PII: 00001888-200810000-00018, DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181850950, ISSN: 1938-808X.
Balser JR, Baruchin A. Science at the interstices: an evolution in the academy. Acad Med. 2008 Sep; 83(9): 827-31. PMID: 18728436, PII: 00001888-200809000-00009, DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e318181d1ed, ISSN: 1938-808X.
Roden DM, Pulley JM, Basford MA, Bernard GR, Clayton EW, Balser JR, Masys DR. Development of a large-scale de-identified DNA biobank to enable personalized medicine. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther [print-electronic]. 2008 Sep; 84(3): 362-9. PMID: 18500243, PMCID: PMC3763939, PII: clpt200889, DOI: 10.1038/clpt.2008.89, ISSN: 1532-6535.
Nakajima T, Hayashi K, Viswanathan PC, Kim MY, Anghelescu M, Barksdale KA, Shuai W, Balser JR, Kupershmidt S. HERG is protected from pharmacological block by alpha-1,2-glucosyltransferase function. J. Biol. Chem [print-electronic]. 2007 Feb 2/23/2007; 282(8): 5506-13. PMID: 17189275, PII: M605976200, DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M605976200, ISSN: 0021-9258.
Shah VN, Wingo TL, Weiss KL, Williams CK, Balser JR, Chazin WJ. Calcium-dependent regulation of the voltage-gated sodium channel hH1: intrinsic and extrinsic sensors use a common molecular switch. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A [print-electronic]. 2006 Mar 3/7/2006; 103(10): 3592-7. PMID: 16505387, PMCID: PMC1450128, PII: 0507397103, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0507397103, ISSN: 0027-8424.
Viswanathan PC, Balser JR. Molecular basis of isolated cardiac conduction disease. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2006; (171): 331-47. PMID: 16610351, ISSN: 0171-2004.
Fukuda K, Davies SS, Nakajima T, Ong BH, Kupershmidt S, Fessel J, Amarnath V, Anderson ME, Boyden PA, Viswanathan PC, Roberts LJ, Balser JR. Oxidative mediated lipid peroxidation recapitulates proarrhythmic effects on cardiac sodium channels. Circ. Res [print-electronic]. 2005 Dec 12/9/2005; 97(12): 1262-9. PMID: 16284182, PII: 01.RES.0000195844.31466.e9, DOI: 10.1161/01.RES.0000195844.31466.e9, ISSN: 1524-4571.
Fukuda K, Nakajima T, Viswanathan PC, Balser JR. Compound-specific Na+ channel pore conformational changes induced by local anaesthetics. J. Physiol. (Lond.) [print-electronic]. 2005 Apr 4/1/2005; 564(Pt 1): 21-31. PMID: 15677685, PMCID: PMC1456037, PII: jphysiol.2004.081646, DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2004.081646, ISSN: 0022-3751.
Petersen CI, McFarland TR, Stepanovic SZ, Yang P, Reiner DJ, Hayashi K, George AL, Roden DM, Thomas JH, Balser JR. In vivo identification of genes that modify ether-a-go-go-related gene activity in Caenorhabditis elegans may also affect human cardiac arrhythmia. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A [print-electronic]. 2004 Aug 8/10/2004; 101(32): 11773-8. PMID: 15280551, PMCID: PMC511051, PII: 0306005101, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0306005101, ISSN: 0027-8424.
Mullins FM, Stepanovic SZ, Gillani NB, George AL, Balser JR. Functional interaction between extracellular sodium, potassium and inactivation gating in HERG channels. J. Physiol. (Lond.) [print-electronic]. 2004 Aug 8/1/2004; 558(Pt 3): 729-44. PMID: 15169846, PMCID: PMC1665011, PII: jphysiol.2004.065193, DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2004.065193, ISSN: 0022-3751.
Thompson A, Balser JR. Perioperative cardiac arrhythmias. Br J Anaesth [print-electronic]. 2004 Jul; 93(1): 86-94. PMID: 15145821, PII: aeh166, DOI: 10.1093/bja/aeh166, ISSN: 0007-0912.
Wingo TL, Shah VN, Anderson ME, Lybrand TP, Chazin WJ, Balser JR. An EF-hand in the sodium channel couples intracellular calcium to cardiac excitability. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol [print-electronic]. 2004 Mar; 11(3): 219-25. PMID: 14981509, PII: nsmb737, DOI: 10.1038/nsmb737, ISSN: 1545-9993.
Viswanathan PC, Balser JR. Inherited sodium channelopathies: a continuum of channel dysfunction. Trends Cardiovasc. Med. 2004 Jan; 14(1): 28-35. PMID: 14720472, PII: S1050173803001890, ISSN: 1050-1738.
Kupershmidt S, Yang IC, Hayashi K, Wei J, Chanthaphaychith S, Petersen CI, Johns DC, George AL, Roden DM, Balser JR. The IKr drug response is modulated by KCR1 in transfected cardiac and noncardiac cell lines. FASEB J [print-electronic]. 2003 Dec; 17(15): 2263-5. PMID: 14525949, PII: 02-1057fje, DOI: 10.1096/fj.02-1057fje, ISSN: 1530-6860.
Viswanathan PC, Benson DW, Balser JR. A common SCN5A polymorphism modulates the biophysical effects of an SCN5A mutation. J. Clin. Invest. 2003 Feb; 111(3): 341-6. PMID: 12569159, PMCID: PMC151865, DOI: 10.1172/JCI16879, ISSN: 0021-9738.
Dzhura I, Wu Y, Colbran RJ, Corbin JD, Balser JR, Anderson ME. Cytoskeletal disrupting agents prevent calmodulin kinase, IQ domain and voltage-dependent facilitation of L-type Ca2+ channels. J. Physiol. (Lond.). 2002 Dec 12/1/2002; 545(Pt 2): 399-406. PMID: 12456820, PMCID: PMC2290681, PII: PHY_021881, ISSN: 0022-3751.
Kupershmidt S, Yang IC, Sutherland M, Wells KS, Yang T, Yang P, Balser JR, Roden DM. Cardiac-enriched LIM domain protein fhl2 is required to generate I(Ks) in a heterologous system. Cardiovasc. Res. 2002 Oct; 56(1): 93-103. PMID: 12237170, PII: S0008636302004984, ISSN: 0008-6363.
Mullins FM, Stepanovic SZ, Desai RR, George AL, Balser JR. Extracellular sodium interacts with the HERG channel at an outer pore site. J. Gen. Physiol. 2002 Oct; 120(4): 517-37. PMID: 12356854, PMCID: PMC2229534, ISSN: 0022-1295.
Balser JR. Perioperative arrhythmias: incidence, risk assessment, evaluation, and management. Card Electrophysiol Rev. 2002 Feb; 6(1-2): 96-9. PMID: 11984026, ISSN: 1385-2264.
Tan HL, Kupershmidt S, Zhang R, Stepanovic S, Roden DM, Wilde AA, Anderson ME, Balser JR. A calcium sensor in the sodium channel modulates cardiac excitability. Nature. 2002 Jan 1/24/2002; 415(6870): 442-7. PMID: 11807557, PII: 415442a, DOI: 10.1038/415442a, ISSN: 0028-0836.
Wang DW, Viswanathan PC, Balser JR, George AL, Benson DW. Clinical, genetic, and biophysical characterization of SCN5A mutations associated with atrioventricular conduction block. Circulation. 2002 Jan 1/22/2002; 105(3): 341-6. PMID: 11804990, ISSN: 1524-4539.
Roden DM, Balser JR, George AL, Anderson ME. Cardiac ion channels. Annu. Rev. Physiol. 2002; 64: 431-75. PMID: 11826275, PII: 64/1/431, DOI: 10.1146/annurev.physiol.64.083101.145105, ISSN: 0066-4278.
Viswanathan PC, Bezzina CR, George AL, Roden DM, Wilde AA, Balser JR. Gating-dependent mechanisms for flecainide action in SCN5A-linked arrhythmia syndromes. Circulation. 2001 Sep 9/4/2001; 104(10): 1200-5. PMID: 11535580, ISSN: 1524-4539.
Balser JR. Inherited sodium channelopathies: novel therapeutic and proarrhythmic molecular mechanisms. Trends Cardiovasc. Med. 2001 Aug; 11(6): 229-37. PMID: 11673053, PII: S1050-1738(01)00116-5, ISSN: 1050-1738.
Johnson JP, Balser JR, Bennett PB. A novel extracellular calcium sensing mechanism in voltage-gated potassium ion channels. J. Neurosci. 2001 Jun 6/15/2001; 21(12): 4143-53. PMID: 11404399, PII: 21/12/4143, ISSN: 1529-2401.
Balser JR. The cardiac sodium channel: gating function and molecular pharmacology. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 2001 Apr; 33(4): 599-613. PMID: 11273715, PII: S0022-2828(00)91346-4, DOI: 10.1006/jmcc.2000.1346, ISSN: 0022-2828.
Numaguchi H, Mullins FM, Johnson JP, Johns DC, Po SS, Yang IC, Tomaselli GF, Balser JR. Probing the interaction between inactivation gating and Dd-sotalol block of HERG. Circ. Res. 2000 Nov 11/24/2000; 87(11): 1012-8. PMID: 11090546, ISSN: 1524-4571.
Ong BH, Tomaselli GF, Balser JR. A structural rearrangement in the sodium channel pore linked to slow inactivation and use dependence. J. Gen. Physiol. 2000 Nov; 116(5): 653-62. PMID: 11055994, PMCID: PMC2229478, ISSN: 0022-1295.
Wang DW, Makita N, Kitabatake A, Balser JR, George AL. Enhanced Na(+) channel intermediate inactivation in Brugada syndrome. Circ. Res. 2000 Oct 10/13/2000; 87(8): E37-43. PMID: 11029409, ISSN: 1524-4571.
Numaguchi H, Johnson JP, Petersen CI, Balser JR. A sensitive mechanism for cation modulation of potassium current. Nat. Neurosci. 2000 May; 3(5): 429-30. PMID: 10769379, DOI: 10.1038/74793, ISSN: 1097-6256.
Chen Z, Ong BH, Kambouris NG, Marbán E, Tomaselli GF, Balser JR. Lidocaine induces a slow inactivated state in rat skeletal muscle sodium channels. J. Physiol. (Lond.). 2000 Apr 4/1/2000; 524 Pt 1: 37-49. PMID: 10747182, PMCID: PMC2269847, PII: PHY_0199, ISSN: 0022-3751.
Dzhura I, Wu Y, Colbran RJ, Balser JR, Anderson ME. Calmodulin kinase determines calcium-dependent facilitation of L-type calcium channels. Nat. Cell Biol. 2000 Mar; 2(3): 173-7. PMID: 10707089, DOI: 10.1038/35004052, ISSN: 1465-7392.
Johnson JP, Balser JR, Bennett PB. Enhancement of HERG K+ currents by Cd2+ destabilization of the inactivated state. Biophys. J. 1999 Nov; 77(5): 2534-41. PMID: 10545354, PMCID: PMC1300528, PII: S0006-3495(99)77088-8, ISSN: 1542-0086.
Balser JR. Structure and function of the cardiac sodium channels. Cardiovasc. Res. 1999 May; 42(2): 327-38. PMID: 10533571, PII: S0008-6363(99)00031-0, ISSN: 0008-6363.
Balser JR, Bennett PB, Hondeghem LM, Roden DM. Suppression of time-dependent outward current in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. Actions of quinidine and amiodarone. Circ. Res. 1991 Aug; 69(2): 519-29. PMID: 1860189, ISSN: 0009-7330.
Wikswo JP, Wisialowski TA, Altemeier WA, Balser JR, Kopelman HA, Roden DM. Virtual cathode effects during stimulation of cardiac muscle. Two-dimensional in vivo experiments. Circ. Res. 1991 Feb; 68(2): 513-30. PMID: 1991354, ISSN: 0009-7330.
Balser JR, Roden DM, Bennett PB. Single inward rectifier potassium channels in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. Effects of quinidine. Biophys. J. 1991 Jan; 59(1): 150-61. PMID: 2015380, PMCID: PMC1281127, PII: S0006-3495(91)82207-X, DOI: 10.1016/S0006-3495(91)82207-X, ISSN: 0006-3495.
Balser JR, Bennett PB, Roden DM. Time-dependent outward current in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. Gating kinetics of the delayed rectifier. J. Gen. Physiol. 1990 Oct; 96(4): 835-63. PMID: 2258717, PMCID: PMC2229010, ISSN: 0022-1295.
Balser JR, Roden DM, Bennett PB. Global parameter optimization for cardiac potassium channel gating models. Biophys. J. 1990 Mar; 57(3): 433-44. PMID: 2306494, PMCID: PMC1280738, PII: S0006-3495(90)82560-1, DOI: 10.1016/S0006-3495(90)82560-1, ISSN: 0006-3495.
Roden DM, Bennett PB, Snyders DJ, Balser JR, Hondeghem LM. Quinidine delays IK activation in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. Circ. Res. 1988 May; 62(5): 1055-8. PMID: 2452034, ISSN: 0009-7330.