Yerebakan Lab
The Yerebakan Lab studies why some babies are born with very small or weak hearts and whether those hearts can grow stronger if given the right help. Using a special embryo model, we can temporarily change blood flow and then restore it to see if the heart can recover its growth. This helps us learn whether there are windows of time when treatment might make the biggest difference. Our goal is to use this knowledge to guide new approaches that protect children’s hearts, improve surgical outcomes and give families more options and more hope for the future.
Inside Yerebakan Lab
Our Research
The Yerebakan Lab studies how mechanical forces shape heart development and contribute to congenital heart disease. Our research centers on hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a severe defect where the left side of the heart fails to grow properly. To investigate this, we are working on a preclinical model of Left Atrial Ligation–Release (LAL-R), which provides a way to investigate the potential for reversibility of left heart hypoplasia. By combining developmental biology with translational research, our team aims to identify when structural defects may still be corrected and to uncover pathways that could guide earlier and more effective treatments for children born with serious heart conditions.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) remains one of the most severe congenital heart defects, with high mortality despite surgical advances. Early clinical efforts suggest that restoring blood flow before birth may promote growth, but the timing and mechanisms are poorly defined. Our research aims to clarify when a developing hypoplastic left heart is still capable of recovery, so that future interventions can be better timed and more effective.
Our team uses developmental and translational approaches to study how altered circulation influences heart growth. We are expanding the preclinical model of Left Atrial Ligation–Release (LAL-R) as a platform to test whether restoring left-sided blood flow during defined stages can support ventricular recovery. To evaluate these changes, we plan to apply high-resolution and 4D imaging to track chamber dimensions, wall architecture and remodeling in vivo. At the cellular scale, we are building systems to study cardiomyocyte contractility, calcium handling and key signaling pathways that govern adaptation under mechanical stress. By linking embryonic, cellular and molecular readouts, our work is designed to provide an integrated picture of how mechanical forces guide heart development and disease.
Join Us
If you're interested in collaborating with Yerebakan Lab, please email YerebakanLab@NationwideChildrens.org.
Meet Our Team
Can Yerebakan, MD, PhD
Principal Investigator
Can.Yerebakan@NationwideChildrens.org
Can Yerebakan, MD, PhD, is the associate chief of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Professor of Surgery at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is the director of the Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship program and principal investigator in the Center for Cardiovascular Research.
Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Dr. Yerebakan completed his medical school at the Albert-Ludwigs-University, his surgical training with cardiovascular surgery board certification and his PhD in renowned institutions in Germany. After completing a pediatric cardiothoracic surgery fellowship program at Children’s National Hospital in DC mentored by Dr. Richard Jonas, Dr. Yerebakan returned to Germany to as a faculty at the prestigious Pediatric Heart Center at the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen where he has developed his expertise on the hybrid strategy for hypoplastic left heart syndrome at international level before accepting an invitation to join the faculty at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC in 2017.
Dr. Yerebakan’s research interests include alternative strategies and regenerative therapies for congenital heart disease. Dr. Yerebakan has conducted pioneering experimental work in regenerative therapies for congenital heart disease with first time application of autologous umbilical cord stem cells for right heart regeneration. He is particularly interested in improving outcomes of children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Dr. Yerebakan has received several grants, awards and recognitions for his continued work in improving the outcomes of children with congenital heart disease. He has contributed to over 150 peer-reviewed publications and over 150 presentations in international scientific meetings in three languages. Throughout his career, Dr. Yerebakan has mentored many international doctoral students, postdoctoral research fellows and clinical fellows.
He is active on the editorial boards of several high-impact journals. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Congenital Heart Surgeons Society and the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the German Society for Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery.
Mohammed Mashali, MS, PhD
Research Scientist
Mohammed.Mashali@NationwideChildrens.org
Mohammed Mashali, MS, PhD, earned his bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine in 2009, a master’s degree in surgery in 2012 and a PhD in regenerative medicine in 2018. He then spent seven years at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, advancing through postdoctoral and research scientist roles before joining Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Mashali’s research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease, with a particular emphasis on heart failure, examining myocardial contractility, ventricular kinetics, calcium regulation and age-related changes in cardiac performance. His work also explores mitochondrial dysfunction, the cardiovascular effects of cancer therapies and the interactions between skeletal muscle disease and cardiac complications.
At Nationwide Children’s, Dr. Mashali is expanding his work to congenital heart disease. His current project involves developing a chick embryo model of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) to investigate how altered blood flow affects ventricular growth and to define potential windows for early therapeutic intervention.
Research Projects
This project develops a reversible chick embryo model of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). By temporarily restricting and then restoring blood flow, we can test how timing influences ventricular remodeling and whether growth can normalize. The project combines developmental modeling with advanced imaging to map structural changes and aims to define windows when interventions may be most effective. Findings are expected to guide new approaches for early diagnosis and potential prenatal therapies. The goal of this project is to determine whether restoring blood flow at critical stages can reverse or improve left heart growth.