MCWMedical College of Wisconsin · Biomedical Engineering
Radiation Response and Sex Differences Lab
Heather A Himburg · Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Research Focus
Dr. Heather A. Himburg's lab focuses on understanding how biological sex influences the body's response to radiation, specifically in gastrointestinal damage. Their research primarily investigates the role of ACE2, an enzyme that may protect against radiation injury, and how its activity differs between male and female subjects. By exploring these sex-based differences, the lab aims to develop improved medical countermeasures for radiation exposure.
ACE2gastrointestinal radiation syndromesex differencesradiation toxicitymedical countermeasures
Research Aims
3AIM 01Evaluate how ACE2 agonism affects gastrointestinal protection in male and female rats.
AIM 02Determine the impact of estrogen loss on ACE2 activation and radiation sensitivity.
AIM 03Characterize the necessity for ACE2 in gut tissue using genetic models.
Skills the Lab Values
animal modelspharmacologic studiesgenetic manipulationhistopathologysignal transduction analysis
Output against the department
Publications132bottom 27% of dept.433rd of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.8kbottom 21% of dept.471st of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.