The Division of Cardiology has a very interactive staff of cardiovascular investigators in the following research areas.
Vascular Biology
Division of Cardiology basic science researchers have made numerous contributions in vascular biology, particularly in:
- Atherosclerosis
- Hypertension
- Biology of oxygen radicals and their role in both normal vessel function and vascular disease
- Regulation reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by vascular cells and the impact of ROS on vascular inflammation, vascular tone, lesion formation and blood vessel remodeling
- Endothelial and vascular smooth cell mechanobiology – regulation of vascular gene expression and phenotype in response to mechanical forces
- Regeneration/repair of blood vessels through induced pluripotent stem cells and bone marrow-derived progenitor cells
Cardiac Myocyte Biology
Investigators in the Division of Cardiology have rigorous research programs focused cardiac myocyte biology. Their research programs examine:
- Molecular and cell biology of cardiac myocytes
- Cardiac regeneration/repair through cardiac progenitor cells, iPS cells or bone marrow derived progenitor cells
- Cardiac renin-angiotensin system
- Cardiac development and congenital heart disease
- Innate inflammation in ischemia-reperfusion injury
- Genetics of heart failure
Human Physiology
Division of Cardiology investigators are involved in studies of human physiology, in particular, assessment of endothelial function in human subjects with a variety of diseases. Studies from the division focus on:
- Effect of lipid-lowering on endothelial function
- Effect of hypertension alters vascular function
- The identification and clinical use of plasma markers that correlate with endothelial function
Research Funding
Division of Cardiology basic science investigators are well funded through grants from the National Institutes of Health (R, K, and program project awards), the American Heart Association, the Veterans Administration Hospital, pharmaceutical companies and philanthropic support. The Division of Cardiology also has a training grant funded by the NIH.
Training Future Leaders
An important mission of the Division of Cardiology research effort is to train the next generation of clinician-scientist cardiologists by providing our trainees the opportunity to actively participate in laboratory studies. Visit the Cardiology Education web pages for more information about training opportunities in the Division of Cardiology.
Basic Science Cardiology Labs
Learn more about what our researchers are doing on their basic science cardiology lab web pages.