Vascular Biology

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Vascular biology is the study of blood vessel and vessel-derived components, which provide critical nutrients to organs and that control physiological homeostasis. Multiple human diseases result from problems of the vasculature, including atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Because of this, studies of vascular development and function can often translate into new therapeutic interventions. Vascular biology research includes biological (molecular, cellular, and organismal levels), pathophysiological, epidemiological (observational) and pharmacological studies. Integration of these areas yields a multidisciplinary research focus and a particularly exciting and important field.

Major initiatives are underway by the National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies to provide resources to support fundamental basic science and clinical research in vascular biology. The UW Cardiovascular Research Center has established emerging efforts in this area, which provide outstanding training opportunities for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and physician scientists. Specific areas of expertise among the UW vascular biology program include: vascular cell signaling and transcriptional mechanisms; vascular development (vasculogenesis); vascular remodeling (angiogenesis); thrombosis and hemostasis; biomechanical engineering; atherosclerosis. A wide range of cutting-edge approaches including genomics, proteomics, lipoprotein assembly and non-invasive imaging are used to study these topics. Investigators have outstanding access to state-of-the-art genomics, proteomics, and non-invasive imaging facilities at the University of Wisconsin.

The vascular biology program has significant overlapping interests with stem cell and regenerative medicine research, as human and murine stem cells provide powerful systems for studying vascular biology problems. In addition, stem cell-based tissue engineering offers enormous potential for constructing artificial vascular networks.

Faculty involved in aspects of vascular biology within the UW Cardiovascular Research Center include: