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Lawreen Connors

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Lawreen Connors
Born
Lawreen Marie Heller

August 9, 1954
Ogdensburg, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 20, 2024 (age 70)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)Biochemist, medical researcher, college professor

Lawreen Marie Heller Connors (August 9, 1954 – October 20, 2024) was an American biochemist, medical researcher, and college professor. She was a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Boston University School of Medicine from 1998 until she retired in 2022. Her research focused on the protein amyloid, and the related disease, amyloidosis. She was director of the Amyloidosis Center at Boston University, and co-director of the Amyloid Pathology Diagnostic Testing Laboratory.

Early life and education

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Heller was born in Ogdensburg, New York, the daughter of Warren Heller and Helen Amelia Fleming Heller. Her father was a cardiologist.[1] She graduated from Ogdensburg Free Academy in 1972. She graduated from Boston College in 1976, with a double degree in chemistry and mathematics.[2] She completed a master's degree at Tufts University, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Boston University.[3][4]

Career

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Connors was a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Boston University School of Medicine beginning in 1998. Her research involved studies in the structure and development of the protein amyloid, and the related disease, amyloidosis. She was director of the Amyloidosis Center at Boston University, and co-director of the Amyloid Pathology Diagnostic Testing Laboratory.[3] She was active in the International Society of Amyloidosis. She was named the Charles Brown Professor for Amyloidosis Research in 2020, and retired from Boston University in 2022, as emeritus professor.[4]

Publications

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Connors' work was published in academic journals including Archives of Internal Medicine,[5] Biochemistry,[6] Amyloid,[7][8] Circulation Research,[9] Circulation,[10][11] Blood,[12] American Heart Journal,[13] American Journal of Physiology,[14] Molecular & Cellular Proteomics,[15] Arthritis & Rheumatology,[16] Journal of Proteome Research,[17] Stem Cell Reports,[18] and Journal of Cardiac Failure.[19] She was also on the editorial board of the journal Amyloid.[3]

Personal life

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Lawreen Heller married Michael K. Connors. They had three children and lived in Woburn, Massachusetts. She died from breast cancer in 2024,[4] at the age of 70, in Boston. The Dr. Lawreen Connors Research Scholar Fund was established at Boston University, in her memory.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Dr. Warren Heller Elected to College of Cardiology". The Journal. August 14, 1975. p. 13 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
  2. ^ Boston College (1976). Sub turri = Under the tower : the yearbook of Boston College. Boston College Libraries. [Boston] : The College. p. 279 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ a b c "Dr. Lawreen M. (Heller) Connors, 70, formerly of Ogdensburg". North Country Now. 2024-10-22. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  4. ^ a b c Sanchorawala, Vaishali; Skinner, Martha (2024-11-27). "In memoriam: Lawreen Connors, Ph.D." Amyloid: 1–2. doi:10.1080/13506129.2024.2432979. ISSN 1350-6129.
  5. ^ Ng, Belinda; Connors, Lawreen H.; Davidoff, Ravin; Skinner, Martha; Falk, Rodney H. (2005-06-27). "Senile Systemic Amyloidosis Presenting With Heart Failure: A Comparison With Light Chain–Associated Amyloidosis". Archives of Internal Medicine. 165 (12): 1425–1429. doi:10.1001/archinte.165.12.1425. ISSN 0003-9926. PMID 15983293.
  6. ^ Klimtchuk, Elena S.; Gursky, Olga; Patel, Rupesh S.; Laporte, Kathryn L.; Connors, Lawreen H.; Skinner, Martha; Seldin, David C. (2010-11-16). "The Critical Role of the Constant Region in Thermal Stability and Aggregation of Amyloidogenic Immunoglobulin Light Chain". Biochemistry. 49 (45): 9848–9857. doi:10.1021/bi101351c. ISSN 0006-2960. PMC 4080313. PMID 20936823.
  7. ^ Connors, Lawreen Heller; Lim, Amareth; Prokaeva, Tatiana; Roskens, Violet A.; Costello, Catherine E. (January 2003). "Tabulation of human transthyretin (TTR) variants, 2003". Amyloid. 10 (3): 160–184. doi:10.3109/13506120308998998. ISSN 1350-6129. PMID 14640030.
  8. ^ Phull, Pooja; Sanchorawala, Vaishali; Connors, Lawreen H.; Doros, Gheorghe; Ruberg, Frederick L.; Berk, John L.; Sarosiek, Shayna (2018-01-02). "Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in systemic transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR)". Amyloid. 25 (1): 62–67. doi:10.1080/13506129.2018.1436048. ISSN 1350-6129. PMC 6157907. PMID 29424556.
  9. ^ Brenner, Daniel A.; Jain, Mohit; Pimentel, David R.; Wang, Bo; Connors, Lawreen H.; Skinner, Martha; Apstein, Carl S.; Liao, Ronglih (2004-04-30). "Human Amyloidogenic Light Chains Directly Impair Cardiomyocyte Function Through an Increase in Cellular Oxidant Stress". Circulation Research. 94 (8): 1008–1010. doi:10.1161/01.RES.0000126569.75419.74. PMID 15044325.
  10. ^ Connors, Lawreen H.; Sam, Flora; Skinner, Martha; Salinaro, Francesco; Sun, Fangui; Ruberg, Frederick L.; Berk, John L.; Seldin, David C. (2016-01-19). "Heart Failure Resulting From Age-Related Cardiac Amyloid Disease Associated With Wild-Type Transthyretin". Circulation. 133 (3): 282–290. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.018852. PMC 4718760. PMID 26660282.
  11. ^ Liao, Ronglih; Jain, Mohit; Teller, Paige; Connors, Lawreen H.; Ngoy, Soeun; Skinner, Martha; Falk, Rodney H.; Apstein, Carl S. (2001-10-02). "Infusion of Light Chains From Patients With Cardiac Amyloidosis Causes Diastolic Dysfunction in Isolated Mouse Hearts". Circulation. 104 (14): 1594–1597. doi:10.1161/circ.104.14.1594. PMID 11581134.
  12. ^ Ward, Jennifer Ellis; Ren, Ruiyi; Toraldo, Gianluca; SooHoo, Pam; Guan, Jian; O'Hara, Carl; Jasuja, Ravi; Trinkaus-Randall, Vickery; Liao, Ronglih; Connors, Lawreen H.; Seldin, David C. (2011-12-15). "Doxycycline reduces fibril formation in a transgenic mouse model of AL amyloidosis". Blood. 118 (25): 6610–6617. doi:10.1182/blood-2011-04-351643. ISSN 0006-4971. PMC 3242721. PMID 21998211.
  13. ^ Connors, Lawreen H.; Prokaeva, Tatiana; Lim, Amareth; Théberge, Roger; Falk, Rodney H.; Doros, Gheorghe; Berg, Alan; Costello, Catherine E.; O'Hara, Carl; Seldin, David C.; Skinner, Martha (2009-10-01). "Cardiac amyloidosis in African Americans: Comparison of clinical and laboratory features of transthyretin V122I amyloidosis and immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis". American Heart Journal. 158 (4): 607–614. doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2009.08.006. ISSN 0002-8703. PMID 19781421.
  14. ^ Mishra, Shikha; Guan, Jian; Plovie, Eva; Seldin, David C.; Connors, Lawreen H.; Merlini, Giampaolo; Falk, Rodney H.; MacRae, Calum A.; Liao, Ronglih (July 2013). "Human amyloidogenic light chain proteins result in cardiac dysfunction, cell death, and early mortality in zebrafish". American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 305 (1): H95 – H103. doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00186.2013. ISSN 0363-6135. PMC 3727100. PMID 23624626.
  15. ^ Lavatelli, Francesca; Perlman, David H.; Spencer, Brian; Prokaeva, Tatiana; McComb, Mark E.; Théberge, Roger; Connors, Lawreen H.; Bellotti, Vittorio; Seldin, David C.; Merlini, Giampaolo; Skinner, Martha; Costello, Catherine E. (August 2008). "Amyloidogenic and Associated Proteins in Systemic Amyloidosis Proteome of Adipose Tissue". Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. 7 (8): 1570–1583. doi:10.1074/mcp.M700545-MCP200. PMC 2494907. PMID 18474516.
  16. ^ Prokaeva, Tatiana; Spencer, Brian; Kaut, Maurya; Ozonoff, Al; Doros, Gheorghe; Connors, Lawreen H.; Skinner, Martha; Seldin, David C. (November 2007). "Soft tissue, joint, and bone manifestations of AL amyloidosis: Clinical presentation, molecular features, and survival". Arthritis & Rheumatism. 56 (11): 3858–3868. doi:10.1002/art.22959. ISSN 0004-3591. PMID 17968927.
  17. ^ Chan, Gloria G.; Koch, Clarissa M.; Connors, Lawreen H. (2017-04-07). "Blood Proteomic Profiling in Inherited (ATTRm) and Acquired (ATTRwt) Forms of Transthyretin-Associated Cardiac Amyloidosis". Journal of Proteome Research. 16 (4): 1659–1668. doi:10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00998. ISSN 1535-3893. PMID 28196416.
  18. ^ Leung, Amy; Nah, Shirley K.; Reid, Whitney; Ebata, Atsushi; Koch, Clarissa M.; Monti, Stefano; Genereux, Joseph C.; Wiseman, R. Luke; Wolozin, Benjamin; Connors, Lawreen H.; Berk, John L.; Seldin, David C.; Mostoslavsky, Gustavo; Kotton, Darrell N.; Murphy, George J. (November 2013). "Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Modeling of Multisystemic, Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis". Stem Cell Reports. 1 (5): 451–463. doi:10.1016/j.stemcr.2013.10.003. PMC 3841264. PMID 24286032.
  19. ^ Lohrmann, Graham; Pipilas, Alexandra; Mussinelli, Roberta; Gopal, Deepa M.; Berk, John L.; Connors, Lawreen H.; Vellanki, Nirupama; Hellawell, Jennifer; Siddiqi, Omar K.; Fox, Jonathan; Maurer, Mathew S.; Ruberg, Frederick L. (September 2020). "Stabilization of Cardiac Function With Diflunisal in Transthyretin (ATTR) Cardiac Amyloidosis". Journal of Cardiac Failure. 26 (9): 753–759. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2019.11.024. ISSN 1071-9164. PMC 7758872. PMID 31805416.
  20. ^ "Dr. Lawreen M. (Heller) Connors". Lynch Cantillon Funeral Home. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
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