L Michel Espinoza-Fonseca, PhD

 L Michel M Espinoza-Fonseca
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Medical School
Email:
[email protected]
Available to mentor
L Michel Espinoza-Fonseca, PhD
L Michel M Espinoza-Fonseca
Associate Professor
  • About
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications

  • Manage Your Profile

    • About

    The goal of the Espinoza-Fonseca group is to understand the fundamental molecular motions and interactions that are responsible for regulating calcium transport in muscle cells, and to design effective molecular therapies to treat human diseases associated with dysregulation of calcium transport in heart failure. We approach these multidisciplinary problems with a combination of computational methods and experimental techniques.

    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center
    • Center Member
      Frankel Institute for Heart and Brain Health

    Research Overview

    - Mechanisms and therapeutic modulation of calcium transport proteins
    - SERCA regulation in cardiovascular and metabolic disease
    - Structure-guided discovery of heart failure therapeutics
    - Structural dynamics and allosteric regulation of membrane proteins
    - Multi-scale cardiovascular biophysics: molecules to cells and disease models

    Recent Publications

     See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Distinct Inhibitory Effects of Statin Lactones on Ca2+- and Na+/K+-ATPases
      Cruz-Cortés C, Šeflová J, Espinoza-Fonseca LM. Molecules, 2026 Sep 28; 31 (19): 3423 - 3423. DOI:10.3390/molecules31193423
    • Journal Article
      Discovery of Ro 41‐0960, a Non‐Steroidal Inhibitor of the Na <sup>+</sup> /K <sup>+</sup> ‐ATPase
      Cruz‐Cortés C, Šeflová J, Guerrero‐Serna G, Jimenez‐Vazquez EN, Anumonwo J, Espinoza‐Fonseca LM. ChemMedChem, 2026 Sep 30; 21 (17): DOI:10.1002/cmdc.70442
    • Patent
      SERCA ACTIVATORS FOR THE TREATMENT OF DISEASE
      Espinoza-Fonseca LM, Cruz-Cortes C, Ard A, Clasby M. 2026 Apr 28;
    • Preprint
      Supercharging the calcium pump: Identification of an activation hotspot on SERCA by cryo-EM.
      Nguyen VH, Cruz-Cortés C, Primeau JO, Lemieux MJ, Espinoza-Fonseca LM, Young HS. 2026 Feb 6; DOI:10.64898/2026.02.05.703879
      PMID: 41676622
    • Journal Article
      Dual Modulation of Cardiac Ion Pumps: A Small-Molecule SERCA2a SUMOylation Enhancer Also Inhibits the Na+/K+-ATPase
      Cruz-Cortés C, Šeflová J, Espinoza-Fonseca LM. Biomedicines, 2025 Dec 12; 13 (12): 3036 DOI:10.3390/biomedicines13123036
    • Journal Article
      Correction to “SAR-Guided Development of Small-Molecule SERCA2a Activators: Discovery of Potent Indoline, Benzofuran, and Benzodioxole Analogs for Cardiovascular Applications”
      Ard A, Cruz-Cortés C, Gan X, Guerrero-Serna G, White AD, Clasby MC, Espinoza-Fonseca LM. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2025 Oct 9; DOI:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c02878
    • Journal Article
      SAR-Guided Development of Small-Molecule SERCA2a Activators: Discovery of Potent Indoline, Benzofuran, and Benzodioxole Analogs for Cardiovascular Applications.
      Ard A, Cruz-Cortés C, Gan X, Guerrero-Serna G, White AD, Clasby MC, Espinoza-Fonseca LM. J Med Chem, 2025 Jul 24; DOI:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c01192
      PMID: 40702921
    • Journal Article
      Machine Learning-Driven Discovery of Structurally Related Natural Products as Activators of the Cardiac Calcium Pump SERCA2a
      Cruz-Cortés C, Fernández-de Gortari E, Aguayo-Ortiz R, Šeflová J, Ard A, Clasby M, Anumonwo J, Michel Espinoza-Fonseca L. Chemmedchem, 2025 May 5; 20 (9): DOI:10.1002/cmdc.202400913
      PMID: 39853697