News Timeline
First Cover Art featuring an article from the ObalLab
4/17/26We are thrilled that our pro-con debate on the potential of opioids as agents for organ protection has been featured by an editorial of Dr. Elizabeth Wilson and Professor Evan Kharasch from Duke University.
Fantastic panel talking with future postdocs and grad-students about research opportunities and transition to future research positions
5/3/2026It was a great pleasure and honor to be invited by the Iowa Association of Multicultural Scientists to talk about the opportunities and challenges in selecting future postdoc mentors and deciding on research projects.
Detlef Obal appointed as Associate Professor (tenure track) in Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology
1/1/2026
Our organoid work got published in Science
6/1/2025Organoids generated from human-derived cells provide an accessible model but typically lack essential cell types and fail to recapitulate the physiological developmental microenvironment. By systematically optimizing differentiation conditions, Abilez et al. established a protocol to generate vascularized cardiac and hepatic organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. These organoids enable mechanistic studies of human cardiac and hepatic development and support applications such as evaluating drug effects on organogenesis.
Our pro/con argument paper is out !
8/8/25Exciting collaboration between Vanderbilt, Yale, and Stanford.
In this pro-con, we discuss the topic of opioids and organ protection. We highlight advantages and dissatvantages of opioid therapy and outline some areas for future research !
Obal Lab received the Dr. John Tinker Memorial Research Fund
4/11/25It is with the highest honor, that we received the Dr. John Tinker Memorial Research Fund. The grant will be utilized to advance iPSC-CM technology in the emergent field of heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
A prolific researcher, Dr. Tinker’s areas of research were in coronary physiology and anesthetics, cardiopulmonary bypass physiology, anesthesia risk and risk management, operating room management, quality assessment and cost/efficacy in medicine. He co-authored two major textbooks and five other books in the anesthesiology field. He had 236 publications to his credit, including several articles in fishing magazines.
First big equipment arrived
10/1/2025We are excited to receive our first big equipment ... more to come
Daya Singh, PhD joined the lab
1/15/25Coming from India with extensive experience in iPSC-CM work, Daya joined the Obal Lab in January 2025
Maia Alberts, BS
11/1/24Maia Alberts is excited to learn more about iPSC-CM and joined the lab.
Welcome to the Obal Lab !
P188 paper is out !
Fantastic collaboration with the Riess Lab at Vanderbilt University.
Interesting effect of P188 on cardiac nitric oxide availability !
Report of two iPSC derived lines from patients with pulmonary hypertension
Outstanding work of Gaoxian (Carver) Chen reporting the generation and characterization of two cell lines from patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Opening of the ObalLab at Stanford University
12/1/2022Just months before COVID19 hit the Bay Area the Lab was opened at Stanford University as part of the Cardiovascular Institute
