Lauren A. Biwer, PhD

Dr. Lauren Biwer (pronounced Bee-were) discovered her passion for cardiovascular research as a post-baccalaureate student in Dr. Taben Hale's laboratory at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She earned her PhD in Molecular Physiology from the University of Virginia School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Brant Isakson, where she was a member of the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center. Dr. Biwer completed her postdoctoral training in Dr. Iris Jaffe's laboratory at the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center, where she was awarded a NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award in 2021.

The Biwer Laboratory takes a female-centered approach to cardiovascular physiology, with a focus on how pregnancy and its complications can shape long-term cardiovascular health. A central area of investigation is preeclampsia — a common and serious pregnancy complication — and the mechanisms by which it accelerates cardiovascular aging. The lab examines how immune cells interact with the vasculature and target organs to drive these outcomes, integrating immunology and vascular biology to uncover sex- and pregnancy-specific disease mechanisms.

To address these questions, the lab employs a comprehensive suite of techniques spanning multiple scales and systems: primary vascular and immune cell culture, advanced microscopy, flow cytometry, ex vivo assessment of arterial function including microvascular dilation and constriction in small resistance arteries, and in vivo measurements of blood pressure and aortic stiffness. Importantly, the lab strives to ensure clinical relevance, so that discoveries made at the bench can inform our understanding of cardiovascular disease in women across the lifespan.