Dwight Towler, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Towler obtained his medical degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry from Washington University, St. Louis, where his thesis work focused upon protein modification by covalent fatty acid acylation (N-myristoylation). He completed his medical residency and endocrine/metabolism fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, and is a board-certified internist and endocrinologist.

Dr. Towler brings to UTSW expertise in the endocrine physiology of bone and vascular disease that synergizes with our Institution’s strengths in patient-oriented, bench-to-bedside translational research.  Before joining UT Southwestern, Towler was the Lang Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Lipid Research at Washington University and also served as Chief, Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases for a decade.  

In addition to his career in academic medicine, Towler spent four years in the pharmaceutical industry, and is co-inventor of novel, patented selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) with potential clinical applications in treatment of musculoskeletal frailty. His clinical interests emphasize the diagnosis and treatment of bone and mineral disorders.  

Dr. Towler is currently the Principal Investigator for projects supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Diabetes Association, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. His  research focuses upon Wnt signaling in arterial calcification (hardening of the arteries) and associated protein arginine methylation/deimination regulatory relays as potential therapeutic targets in aortic and peripheral artery disease. Dr. Towler’s research has been recognized by the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation (1996), the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (Fuller Albright Award 2000), the American Society for Clinical Investigation (elected in 2004), and the Association of American Physicians (elected in 2020).  He currently serves on the editorial board of Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.  A former regular member of the NIH Skeletal Biology Development and Disease (2004-2008) and Atherosclerosis and Inflammation of the Cardiovascular System Study Sections (2010-2014), he also served as a member of the External Advisory Panel to the Illuminating the Druggable Genome Consortium for the NIH Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS; 2014- 2016).  

Dr. Towler’s interests outside of biomedicine include his family, kayaking, and fly fishing. 

Medical School

Washington University School of Medicine (1989)

Residency

Washington University/Barnes Hospital (1991), Internal Medicine

Fellowship

Washington University/Barnes Hospital (1992), Metabolism

• Bone and Mineral Disease
• Cardiovascular calcification
• Protein Arginine Methylation / Demethylation
• Transcriptional regulation
• Wnt signaling

Featured Publications

PTH/PTHrP Receptor Signaling Restricts Arterial Fibrosis in Diabetic LDLR-/- Mice by Inhibiting Myocardin-Related Transcription Factor Relays.

Behrmann A, Zhong D, Li L, Cheng SL, Mead M, Ramachandran B, Sabaeifard P, Goodarzi M, Lemoff A, Kronenberg HM, Towler DA, Circ. Res. 2020 Mar

Lp(a) Oxyphospholipids: Markers and Mediators of Vascular Mineral Metabolism in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease.

Towler DA, J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2019 May 73 17 2163-2165

A GTPase-activating protein binding protein (G3BP1) / antiviral protein relay conveys arteriosclerotic Wnt signals in aortic smooth muscle cells.

Ramachandran B, Stabley JN, Cheng SL, Behrmann AS, Gay A, Li L, Mead M, Kozlitina J, Lemoff A, Mirzaei H, Chen Z, Towler DA J. Biol. Chem. 2018 Apr

Wnt signaling in cardiovascular disease: opportunities and challenges.

Gay A, Towler DA Curr. Opin. Lipidol. 2017 Jul

Arterial Calcification in Diabetes Mellitus: Preclinical Models and Translational Implications.

Stabley JN, Towler DA Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2017 Feb 37 2 205-217

Commonalities Between Vasculature and Bone: An Osseocentric View of Arteriosclerosis.

Towler DA Circulation 2017 Jan 135 4 320-322

Vascular Smooth Muscle LRP6 Limits Arteriosclerotic Calcification in Diabetic LDLR-/- Mice by Restraining Noncanonical Wnt Signals.

Cheng SL, Ramachandran B, Behrmann A, Shao JS, Mead M, Smith C, Krchma K, Bello Arredondo Y, Kovacs A, Kapoor K, Brill LM, Perera R, Williams BO, Towler DA Circ. Res. 2015 Jun

Targeted reduction of vascular Msx1 and Msx2 mitigates arteriosclerotic calcification and aortic stiffness in LDLR-deficient mice fed diabetogenic diets.

Cheng SL, Behrmann A, Shao JS, Ramachandran B, Krchma K, Bello Arredondo Y, Kovacs A, Mead M, Maxson R, Towler DA Diabetes 2014 Dec 63 12 4326-37

Dkk1 and MSX2-Wnt7b signaling reciprocally regulate the endothelial-mesenchymal transition in aortic endothelial cells.

Cheng SL, Shao JS, Behrmann A, Krchma K, Towler DA Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2013 Jul 33 7 1679-89

Arterial calcification and bone physiology: role of the bone-vascular axis.

Thompson B, Towler DA Nat Rev Endocrinol 2012 Sep 8 9 529-43

 Featured Books

Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Medicine. In Vitamin D

Towler DA and Clemens T (2005). San Diego, CA, Elsevier

Physiological Actions of PTH and PTHrP: Vascular, Cardiovascular, and CNS Biology. In The Parathyroids: Basic and Clinical Concepts (3rd Edition)

Towler, DA (2015). London, UK, Elsevier / Academic Press

Vitamin D: Cardiovascular Effects and Vascular Calcification. In Vitamin D (3rd Edition)

Towler, DA (2011). San Diego, USA, Elsevier / Academic Press

Vascular Disease and the Skeleton. In Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases & Disorders of Mineral Metabolism (8th Edition)

Towler, DA (2013). Hoboken, NJ, Wiley-Blackwell

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Osteogenic-Angiogenic Coupling. In Principles of Bone Biology, 3rd Ed.

Towler DA (2008). San Diego, CA, Academic Press

• Association of American Physicians
  Physician-Scientist Honorary Society (2020)
• Louis V. Avioli Professorship in Mineral Metabolism Research
  (2016)
• J.D. and Maggie E. Wilson Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Internal Medicine - Division of Endocrinology
  Endowed Chair (2015)
• University of Texas System Faculty STARS Program Award, UT Southwestern Medical Center
  Translational Research Award (2015)
• Guest Editor, Circulation Research Series of Pathobiology of Calcific Vasculopathy and Valvulopathy
  Invited Guest Editor (2011)
• The 12th Annual John G. Haddad, Jr., MD Memorial Lecture, University of Pennsylvania
  Honorary Visiting Lectureship (2009)
• Bayard D. Catherwood Lecturer and Visiting Professor, Emory University
  Honorary Visiting Lectureship (2006)
• American Society for Clinical Investigation
  Physician-Scientist Honorary Society (2004)
• Ira M. Lang Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center
  Endowed Chair (2004-2012)
• Fuller Albright Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
  Young Investigator Award (2000)
• Charles E. Culpeper Medical Science Scholar
  Career Development Award (1996-1999)

• Association of American Physicians (2020)
• American Society for Clinical Investigation (2004)
• American Heart Association (2003)
• The Endocrine Society (1995)
• American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (1993)