Cardiovascular disease is multifactorial, and individual faculty labs focus on complementary components of this complex disorder, developing and implementing innovative approaches that utilize diverse techniques to explore and expand the evolving concepts of cardiometabolic disease.
See a list of our basic science research by investigator.
Research Labs
Dr. Cruz's lab is studying the molecular mechanisms of thromboinflammatory diseases. His research focuses on the molecular and structural mechanisms that mediate platelet adhesion that leads to thrombosis, in particular the binding of von Willebrand factor to platelet receptors and the role of interactions between von Willebrand factor and vimentin in platelet adhesion during inflammation and stroke
Dr. Li's lab is investigating inflammasome-mediated pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation and the role of FKBP5 in cardiac arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy. Her research uses multidisciplinary approaches to examine how risk factors such as inflammation, obesity, and hypertension modify the function of cardiac ion channels and calcium handling proteins via transcriptional or post-transcriptional mechanisms, with the goal of elucidating the mechanistic link between risk factors and the pathophysiology of cardiac arrhythmias, to develop novel therapeutic targets for arrhythmic patients.
Dr. Pi's lab is studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of endothelial cell functions during vascular development and in pathological conditions such as inflammation, atherosclerosis, peripheral vascular disease, and obesity. In particular, her research focuses on the signaling pathways induced by low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein 1 (LRP1) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), to develop treatments for vascular-associated conditions.
Dr. Vijayan's lab is investigating platelet and endothelial cell signal transduction. His research focuses on the mechanisms by which serine/threonine phosphatases regulate the activation, signaling, and function of integrin alpha IIb/beta 3 and G protein–coupled receptors on platelets, and the exocytosis of von Willebrand factor from endothelial cells. A long-term goal of this research is to identify potential therapeutic targets to prevent thrombotic and inflammatory events in cardiovascular diseases.
Dr. Wu's lab examines the role of inflammation in the development of atherosclerosis and diabetes in association with dyslipidemia and obesity. His research uses animal models of disease in which molecules of interest have been ablated in specific tissues/cells, as well as human subjects and tissues, to evaluate the effects of hyperlipidemia and obesity on monocyte/macrophage phenotypes and their contributions to atherosclerosis and inflammation, with the goal of determining causal links between inflammation and metabolic dysfunctions, to identify novel therapeutic targets for patients with insulin resistance, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.
Dr. Xie's lab is investigating the molecular mechanisms and consequences of myocardial ischemia. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins regulate calcium cycling and cardiac contractile function, and how their dysregulation contributes to the pathophysiological development of heart diseases such as cardiac hypertrophy and arrhythmia.