Yujun Cai, PhD

Dr. Cai joined the Yale School of Medicine from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School in Boston. Prior to moving to Boston, he was a Postdoctoral Associate and later a junior faculty member in the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of Rochester.

Dr. Cai is a Principal Investigator at Yale University. His research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cyclic nucleotide signaling in the pathogenesis of arterial and venous disorders. He has a longstanding interest in investigating the function, molecular mechanisms, and therapeutic potential of phosphodiesterases in cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Cai has expertise in inflammation, extracellular matrix biology, and lysosome function in vascular diseases. His research integrates a wide range of approaches, including RNA sequencing and bioinformatics, proteomics, ex vivo organ culture, state-of-the-art in vivo rodent disease models, analysis of human patient specimens, and transgenic mouse models. He collaborates closely with vascular biologists, vascular surgeons, bioengineers, gene and drug delivery specialists, and bioinformatics experts to advance his research objectives.

Dr. Cai’s research is supported by NIH R01 funding and the AHA Transformational Project Award. His work has been published in leading journals, including Circulation Research and JASN. Beyond his scientific contributions, Dr. Cai is committed to mentoring postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and undergraduate students. He also serves as an Associate Editor for a peer-reviewed journal and contributes to the scientific community through editorial and review activities.