Cardiovascular System Physiology

The cardiovascular system, including the heart, blood vessels, and blood, is responsible for pumping and carrying blood with oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, and for removing waste products. The cardiovascular system is the network connecting the multiple physiological systems in the human body. The endothelial cells, lining the blood vessels have multiple regulatory roles, and they can affect tissue function and metabolism. Endothelial dysfunction is associated with various disease states, as obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer, and aging. However, it is still unclear how endothelial dysfunction contributes or mediates these states and their comorbidities.
Using advanced in vitro models, we are interested in elucidating organ-organ interactions, novel regulatory pathways and disease mediators in, and via the cardiovascular system.
One example is studying why diabetic patients are more sensitive to cellular stress, and whether intrinsic protective pathways could be harnessed to improve their survival following heart attacks or stroke events.