Mona Nemer

Authority on cardiac transcription and a pioneer in molecular cardiology. She was the first to isolate the gene encoding atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) the heart major secretory product confirming the heart as an endocrine organ. Her studies helped establish ANP as the gold standard biomarker for heart failure. Her analysis of the ANP promoter led to the isolation of key cardiac regulators such as GATA4 which is essential for converting non cardiac cells to the cardiogenic lineage. Her elucidation of the molecular pathways underpinning GATA4 action enhanced our understanding of congenital heart disease and heart dysfunction.