Ongoing Research Projects
The vascular endothelium lines all the blood vessels found in higher organisms and as such is the largest endocrine organ of the body. Proteins, lipids and the gas, nitric oxide, produced by the endothelium protect blood vessels from environmental stress, oxidative damage and thrombosis which in turn maintains the patency of blood vessels and ensures the precise delivery of nutrients and oxygen to tissues. In most cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, as well as in cancer, dysregulation of the vascular endothelium contributes directly to disease progression. Thus, our lab is generally interested in what etiologic factors or genes regulate the transition of a healthy "normal" endothelium to a "diseased" endothelium, and use a broad range of technologies and strategies to achieve our goals.
