U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know
Here’s how you know

**Official websites use .gov**
A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
A **lock** ( A locked padlock) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Search Query:
			MAIN MENU

																				
              Health Topics
								All Health Topics A-Z
					
													
		

		Asthma


				

															Heart-Healthy Living


				

															High Blood Pressure


				

															Sickle Cell Disease


				

															Sleep Apnea


				

															Information & Resources on COVID-19
																				
              Health Education
								Education Programs and Initiatives
					
													
		

		The Heart Truth®


				

															Learn More Breathe Better®


				

															Blood Diseases and Disorders Education Program


				

															Publications and Resources
																				
              The Science
								Research Focus Areas
					
													
		

		Blood Disorders and Blood Safety


				

															Sleep Science and Sleep Disorders


				

															Lung Diseases


				

															Health Disparities and Inequities


				

															Heart and Vascular Diseases


				

															Precision Medicine Activities


				

															Obesity, Nutrition, and Physical Activity


				

															Population and Epidemiology Studies


				

															Women’s Health


				

															Research Topics


				

															Clinical Trials


				

															All Science A-Z
																				
              Grants and Training
								Grants and Training Home


				

															Policies and Guidelines


				

															Funding Opportunities and Contacts


				

															Training and Career Development
																				
              News and Events
								News and Events Home
					
													
		

		Email Alerts


				

															All News
					
													
		

		NHLBI News


				

															NHLBI in the Press


				

															Research Features


				

															All Events
					
													
		

		Past Events


				

															Upcoming Events
																				
              About NHLBI
								About NHLBI Home
					
													
		

		Mission and Strategic Vision


				

															Leadership


				

															Divisions, Offices and Centers


				

															Advisory Committees


				

															Budget and Legislative Information


				

															Jobs and Working at the NHLBI


				

															Contact and FAQs


				

															NIH Sleep Research Plan
						
						HOME
		Search Text: Home/< Back ToThe Science/Cardiac Energetics
  Cardiac Energetics
    As a serendipitous offshoot of their efforts in non-linear microscopy, Dr. Balaban and his colleagues discovered that they could visualize the composition of blood vessel walls without the need for dyes. They are using this method to study the early stages of atherosclerosis. Based on the evidence they have obtained, Dr. Balaban is testing the hypothesis that atherosclerotic lesion formation is dependent upon the extracellular matrix composition of the vascular wall.
    On This Page
    
          Balaban
  Robert Balaban, Ph.D.
          Scientist Emeritus
          Email
                                      Profile
      Meet the Team
            Contact us
  Senior Investigator Research Interests
            
  Research Interests
              Millions of years ago, a eukaryotic cell swallowed whole the bacterial ancestor of the mitochondrion and put it to work converting nutrients into energy. Creating energy is an inherently dangerous process requiring careful monitoring and quick eradication of damaging byproducts. Cells therefore have mitochondrial function under tight regulatory control. Since his discovery some years ago that mitochondria in the heart can supply energy at a rate that perfectly matches a range of physiological demands, Dr. Balaban has sought to understand how mitochondria are regulated to ensure this metabolic homeostasis.Dr. Balaban bases his research on the hypothesis that mitochondria are modulated to support cellular metabolic homeostasis chronically by altering mitochondrial content, composition, and cellular location. Given the complexity of the mitochondrial proteome, it is clear that the focus must be on regulatory networks and manipulations of functional pathways, not on a few lone proteins. Accordingly, his laboratory takes a systems approach to studying mitochondrial protein composition and distribution in relation to function. He and his colleagues study post-translational modifications of mitochondrial proteins to understand how proteins and enzymes rapidly adjust to maintain metabolic homeostasis under acute changes in energy demand.Dr. Balaban’s efforts to reconstitute the information gained from these proteomics approaches into a picture of mitochondrial regulation are based on models of energetic flux that make relatively simple assumptions about the relationship of enzyme concentration to reaction velocity. These models will feed back into experimental design in a positive spiral of research to form an increasingly sophisticated view of metabolic homeostasis.Complementing biochemical, proteomics-based, and computational approaches, Dr. Balaban’s laboratory studies the changes in mitochondria that occur in vivo. Moving from an earlier interest in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to study physiological changes associated with energetics, Dr. Balaban and his colleagues have developed non-linear optical microscopy techniques for observing the subcellular dynamics, topology, and orchestration of mitochondria in muscle relative to exercise. The unique aspect of this approach is the ability to deliver light deep inside tissues using infrared light. It is also the most efficient method of imaging fluorophores since all of the emitting light can be used to create a fluorescent image.As a serendipitous offshoot of their efforts in non-linear microscopy, Dr. Balaban and his colleagues discovered that they could visualize the composition of blood vessel walls without the need for dyes. They are using this method to study the early stages of atherosclerosis. Based on the evidence they have obtained, Dr. Balaban is testing the hypothesis that atherosclerotic lesion formation is dependent upon the extracellular matrix composition of the vascular wall.
  Featured Publications
                Mitochondrial DNA Segregation and Replication Restrict the Transmission of Detrimental Mutation
            Authors:Chen Z, Wang ZH, Zhang G, Bleck CKE, Chung DJ, Madison GP, Lindberg E, Combs C, Balaban RS, Xu H.
                                                                                                                        
            J Cell Biol. 
      
                2020 Jul 06;219(7):e201905160
        Read Publication
                      Robust fluorescent labelling of micropipettes for use in fluorescence microscopy: application to the observation of a mosquito borne parasite infection
            Authors:Balaban AE, Neuman K, Sinnis P, Balaban RS.
                                                                                                                        
            J Microsc.
      
                2018 Jan 01;269(1):78-84
        Read Publication
                      The electrochemical transmission in I-Band segments of the mitochondrial reticulum.
            Authors:Patel KD, Glancy B, Balaban RS
                                                                                                                        
            Biochim Biophys Acta
      
                2016 Aug 01;1857(8):1284-9
        Read Publication
                      A Model-based approach for microvasculature structure distortion correction in two-photon fluorescence microscopy images.
            Authors:Dao L, Glancy B, Lucotte B, Chang LC, Balaban RS, Hsu LY
                                                                                                                        
            J Microsc
      
                2015 Nov 01;260(2):180-93
        Read Publication
                      Mitochondrial reticulum for cellular energy distribution in muscle.
            Authors:Glancy B, Hartnell LM, Malide D, Yu ZX, Combs CA, Connelly PS, Subramaniam S, Balaban RS
                                                                                                                        
            Nature
      
                2015 Jul 30;523(7562):617-20
        Read Publication
                                View More Publications
  Meet the Team

    Balaban

            Robert Balaban, Ph.D.
                Scientist Emeritus
                Robert Balaban received his B.S. in biology and chemistry from the University of Miami in 1971 and his Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology from Duke University in 1980. He was awarded a NATO fellowship to the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Oxford in 1981. In 1982, Dr. Balaban joined the NIH as a staff fellow in the NHLBI Laboratory of Kidney and Electrolyte Metabolism. He was named Chief of the newly formed Laboratory of Cardiac Energetics in 1988. Dr. Balaban served as trustee and president of the Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine from 1994 to 1995, of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine from 1995 to 1996, and of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance from 1999 to 2001. He is a member of the American Physiological Society, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, the American Society for Cell Biology, and the Biophysical Society.

                                View  Balaban's Profile
    
          Contact the lab
    10 Center DrBethesda, MD 20814United States
        Phone:
                    301-496-2116
                Fax:
            301-480-5775
  Avatar
    
            Stephanie French
        

    Staff Scientist

        frenchs@nih.gov
            Lucotte
    
            Bertrand Lucotte, Ph.D.
        

    Postdoctoral Fellow

        bertrand.lucotte@nih.gov
            Covian Garcia
    
            Raul Miguel Covian Garcia, Ph.D.
        

    Staff Scientist

        coviangarciar@mail.nih.gov
            Blank Avatar
    
            Beverley M.  Rabbitts, Ph.D.
        

    Postdoctoral Fellow

        beverley.dancy@nih.gov
            Patel
    
            Keval  Patel
        

    

        keval.patel@nih.gov
            Ray
    
            Ray Mejia
        

    Special Volunteer

        ray.mejia@nih.gov
        
                    View
                    Ray's Profile Back To Top Link
  

        

        Back to top
  Web Policies & Notices
  

        

              Accessibility
                      No FEAR Act Data
                      Privacy Policy
                      Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
                      HHS Vulnerability Disclosure
    
          Related Government Websites
  

        

              Health and Human Services
                      National Institutes of Health
                      Office of the Inspector General
                      USA.gov
    
          Stay Connected
    
      
            chat bubblesLive ChatLive Chat with us, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.envelopeGet Email AlertsReceive automatic alerts about NHLBI related news and highlights from across the Institute.
  Footer Bottom
  

        



Contact Us
                            Site Index
                            Jobs