Contributions

Shelly L. Whelan – Research Contributions

Shelly L. Whelan, B.S. is a biomedical researcher who contributed to diverse areas of biology and medicine during her tenure at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. According to Mayo Clinic publications, she was affiliated with Mayo’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (Special Coagulation Laboratory) . Earlier in her career she also worked in Mayo’s Neurology and Nephrology divisions. Whelan’s research spans neuromuscular disease, genetic kidney disorders, transplantation immunology, and hemostasis. Below we summarize her academic background, major research projects, publications, and key findings.

Academic and Professional Background

Whelan earned a bachelor’s degree (B.S.) in Genetics and Cell Biology and an associate degree in Computer Science . She held a long-term position as a Senior Research Technologist at Mayo Clinic (Rochester) from the late 1990s through 2010, working closely with physician-scientists and research teams. During this time she collaborated on both animal-model and clinical translational studies. For example, a 2015 Mayo Clinic Proceedings paper lists her as “Shelly L. Whelan, B.S.” affiliated with the Special Coagulation Laboratory at Mayo . (Her exact current role is not documented in the academic literature, but she later pursued a graduate degree in science and founded Whelan Diagnostics.)

Research Focus Areas Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative Disease: Whelan co-authored research on oxidative stress and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In an Annals of Neurology (2000) study led by Joseph Poduslo (Mayo Neurology), she helped show that continuous delivery of a polyamine-modified catalase enzyme significantly delayed disease onset and extended survival in an ALS (SOD1 mutant) mouse model . This work implicated hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide as mediators of motor neuron damage in ALS. (Whelan was credited with developing molecular tools and assays for the study.) Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and Ciliopathies: Whelan contributed to studies of genetic kidney diseases. In a 2003 Human Molecular Genetics paper, she was a co-author on the discovery that the autosomal recessive PKD (ARPKD) protein fibrocystin (PKHD1 gene product) is localized to primary cilia . This finding (Ward et al. 2003) helped explain the cellular basis of ARPKD and guided further PKD research. Earlier, in 2004 Whelan co-authored an Anatomical Record study of the WPK rat, a rodent model of recessive PKD . That study (Gattone et al. 2004) characterized the full spectrum of “multiorgan pathology” in WPK/WPK rats – including massive kidney cysts, thymic/ splenic hypoplasia, and severe brain malformations (hypoplastic corpus callosum and hydrocephalus) – providing insight into how PKD genes affect development. 1 2 3 1 2 • 4 • 5 6 7 7 1 Genetic Syndromes (Meckel-Gruber): In 2006 Whelan was part of an international team (Smith et al., Nature Genetics) that identified MKS3 (TMEM67) as the gene mutated in Meckel-Gruber syndrome . Her Mayo affiliation (Nephrology & Hypertension division) is noted in that paper’s author list. The work linked human MKS3 to similar polycystic kidney/brain defects seen in the WPK rat, advancing understanding of this lethal ciliopathy. Transplantation Immunology: Whelan collaborated on xenotransplantation research. She coauthored a 2007 Xenotransplantation article (McGregor et al.) with the Mayo Transplant Center team (Byrne, Edgerton, et al.) on heart transplantation using gene-knockout (GT-KO) pigs . This brief report examined whether alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase–knockout pigs are essential for successful pig-to-human heart xenografts. (The study helped inform the developing field of xenotransplantation.) Cardiovascular Disease and Hemostasis: In more recent work, Whelan shifted to hemostasis and cardiology. She was co-author on clinical studies of atrial fibrillation (AF) and platelets. Notably, a 2015 Mayo Clinic Proceedings paper found that patients with nonvalvular AF had markedly higher levels of reticulated (young) platelets than matched controls . In that study by Tafur et al., Whelan (Special Coag Lab) showed that restoring sinus rhythm (e.g. by catheter ablation) significantly reduced reticulated platelets, suggesting a mechanism for AF-related stroke risk . She also contributed to investigations of gene expression in platelets from AF patients (collaborating with Asirvatham, McBane, Wysokinski, and others), exploring why standard antiplatelet drugs may fail in AF (manuscripts in JACC and Mayo Clin Proc). These studies underscore her role in Mayo’s coagulation and cardiovascular research teams.

Collaborations and Team Science Throughout her Mayo Clinic career, Whelan worked in multidisciplinary teams with senior investigators and trainees. Her co-authors include Mayo faculty and fellows such as Joseph Poduslo (Neurology), Christopher Ward and Vicente Torres (Nephrology), Peter Harris (Genetics), and Guerard Byrne (Surgery/Transplant), as well as outside collaborators. She often handled laboratory aspects (molecular biology, animal models, flow cytometry) supporting these projects. For example, in the PKHD1 ciliopathy work she collaborated with pathologist Robert Bacallao and hepatologist Roser Torra; in the AF studies she worked with electrophysiologist Samuel Asirvatham and coagulopathy expert Waldemar Wysokinski. These joint projects span departments including Neurology, Nephrology, Pathology, and Surgery at Mayo, reflecting her versatile lab skills and technical expertise.