Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Research
I have a well established, diverse research program, focusing on the role of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channels in tissue and cellular protection, the regulation of expression of cyclooxygenase isoforms in vascular and brain cells, the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia, and mechanisms of vascular dysfunction and increased neuronal injury related to insulin resistance. My research program has been supported by 3-5 NIH grants and a special Bugher Stroke Research Award from the AHA. This program integrates traditional biochemical, pharmacological and physiological approaches in laboratory animals with up-to-date techniques in cell culture and molecular biology. My laboratory has made many original, important discoveries. For example, we were the first examine the role of mitochondrial KATP channels in protecting the brain or cultured neurons against injury. In addition, we demonstrated for the first time the detrimental effects of insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition, on function of cerebral arteries, and described the involvement of reactive oxygen species in cerebral vascular dysfunction..
I have a record of success in training a diverse array of students, fellows, and younger faculty in my laboratory to be independent scientists. For example, one of my original clinical fellows is now a tenured Full Professor of Pediatrics and also an active basic and clinical researcher at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. Another one of my associates has been awarded a prestigious D.Sci. from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to return to my laboratory for further research collaborators. One of my former post-doctoral fellows and one of my current post-doctoral trainees have received prestigious research awards at the Experimental Biology 2006 meeting in San Francisco. To further enhance training opportunities as well as to promote excellent in research, I have developed and maintained long-lasting collaborations between my laboratory and laboratories located in Hungary and Japan.
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