Jonker Lab
We explore how the earliest stages of life shape the heart — and how that knowledge can improve cardiovascular health across the lifespan.
About us
Before birth, working cardiac myocytes proliferate abundantly, the coronary capillary tree expands, and connective tissues are laid down in the heart and blood vessels. The fetus is exquisitely responsive to its environment and can alter its growth and maturation in just days. These adaptations help meet immediate challenges but may also have lasting consequences. We are interested in how the fetus responds to adverse conditions such as placental insufficiency, anemia, and congenital cardiac malformations—and whether we can promote beneficial adaptations during the perinatal period to improve lifelong health.
Lab culture
Sonnet Jonker, Sam Louey, and the members of the Jonker Lab are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where all individuals have equitable access to training, collaboration, networking, advancement, and a positive work experience. We welcome lab members from all backgrounds and are dedicated to removing barriers that limit participation in biomedical research careers.
Funding
NIH / NHLBI
Additional Ventures
Collins Medical Trust
Gerlinger Trust
News
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OHSU collaborators visit LLU
We’re thrilled to continue our collaboration with Dr. Raph Sun to improve treatments for infants born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)! Raph traveled to LLU this week to participate in creating our model of experimental diaphragmatic hernia. Raph is funded to investigate better therapeutic approaches to CDH by the Ladybug CDH Foundation. Last week, Drs.…
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Neeka wins award at the Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium!
Neeka Barooni and Sonnet Jonker attended the 2025 Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium in Colorado. Neeka presented her abstract “Metabolic response to premature lipid exposure in fetal cardiomyocytes” while I discussed “Physiological response to fetal intravenous lipid emulsion in mid-gestation.” These abstracts describe a study in which we infused Intralipid into fetal sheep from 85 to…
Cover image: CC0, Montana History Portal