Cardiovascular physiology at the bench for application in the clinic

Our research focuses on microphysiological aspects of the cardiovascular system, with an emphasis on what is occurring in heart tissues, to learn more about how various diseases arise and how they can be avoided or cured. These diseases include atherosclerosis, diabetes, myocardial infarction, obesity and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). We use animal models, particularly mice, to aid us in these studies. A key feature of our work centers on dissection of coronary arterioles and examining their functionality using drugs, electrophysiology, fluoroscopy, genomics, proteomics, and standard chemical analyses to determine their physiological status, and compare it with other treated animals. My laboratory is focusing on anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress therapeutic effects, the roles of sodium salicylate, exercise and resveratrol in type 2 diabetes, I/R injury, obesity, and atherosclerosis. Recently, we began investigations of the effects of stem cells and gastric bypass surgery on vascular dysfunction in obesity and diabetes. Our work identifies how diet, exercise, surgical interventions and drugs can be considered to combat these diseases in a clinical setting.