Research
Cardiovascular and Atherosclerosis
The Cardiovascular Disease/ Atherosclerosis Group consists of Drs. Zehner, Grogan, Gil, Barbour, Chalfant, Larner, and Ratz. The members of this group are using biochemical, molecular, and structural approaches to understand the pathogenesis of vascular disease. The research interests of this group include smooth muscle cell development and signaling, lipid hydrolase enzymology, lipoprotein structure and function, and macrophage/ foam cell biology. Hence the expertise of this group encompasses the broad spectrum of cells and tissues that are involved in cardiovascular disease. It is hoped that these synergistic studies will facilitate the development of novel mechanisms for treating one of the most prevalent diseases of the western world.
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Suzanne Barbour, Professor: Role of PLA2 and lipid mediators in membrane homeostasis and sterol metabolism. |
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Paul Ratz, Professor: Shock, vasospasm, hypertension. |
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Zendra Zehner, Professor: Regulation of gene expression during cardiac and skeletal muscle development. |
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Gregorio Gil, Professor: Regulation of gene expression by cholesterol and bile acids. |
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Charles Chalfant, Associate Professor: Role of macrophages in inflammation leading to atherogenesis, signaling pathways that mediate the release of eicosanoids and other proinflammatory/ pro-atherogenic lipid mediators. |
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Andrew Larner, Professor: Stat3 and electron transport chain function in the heart. The Role of the Jak/Stat Signaling Pathway in Regulation of Gene Expression and Cell Metabolism. |
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Keith Baker,
Associate Professor: Understanding the physiological role of nuclear hormone receptors; mechanisms of regulated transcription; metabolic homeostasis. |
