HematoVascular Engineering
Reimagining Blood as a Mechanosensitive Tissue to Engineer Technology that Enhances Cardiovascular Health.
THE EVOLVING ROLE OF Blood CELLS IN CardioVASCULAR HEALTH
Clinical Need
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of worldwide death, with one person dying from cardiovascular complications every ~30 seconds in the United States alone. Cardiovascular disease is caused by a complex interplay of mechanical and biochemical stimuli among cells in the blood and vasculature. The vascular response to these stimuli is altered throughout lifespan by risk factors (e.g., aging), lifestyle factors (e.g., exercise), and determinants of health (e.g., chronic stress). Despite the significance of mechanosignaling in cardiovascular disease, a notable clinical need persists. We lack accessible biomarkers that quantify vascular mechanosignaling throughout lifespan that could be used to enhance disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Why Circulating Blood Cells?
Red blood cells, generally seen as simple oxygen carriers, are now recognized as mechanosensitive cells that contribute to vascular health and disease. In addition to carrying hemoglobin, red blood cells contain enzymes, metabolites, antioxidants, cytokines, and miRNAs that affect vascular function. Red blood cells are also mechanosensitive, releasing these molecular signals as they deform while traversing the circulation. We aim to understand how red blood cell mechanosignaling affects vascular function and how lifestyle factors affect RBC mechanosignaling.
We are also interested in expanding our work to study how other circulating cells (e.g., immune cells, platelets) communicate with the cardiovascular system under physiological flow.
Research Mission
The HematoVascular Engineering Laboratory will integrate hematology, vascular biology, and biomedical engineering to investigate how mechanosignaling released by circulating cells affects cardiovascular disease progression. We will use our findings to engineer novel diagnostics, therapeutics, and imaging strategies that enhance human lifespan and healthspan.
Research Training Support
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