Cardiovascular Biology Research Program

Meet the scientists in this program

Research Seminar Series

The Cardiovascular Biology Research Program, headed by Rodger P. McEver, M.D., investigates fundamental mechanisms involved in blood coagulation, inflammation and atherogenesis, with special emphasis on the regulation of theses processes.

This program utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to address these questions at a molecular level. This approach encompasses all aspects of modern vascular biology, including structural biology, structure-function analysis of enzymes and receptors, regulation of the relevant genes, in vivo studies using transgenic and gene deletion approaches, cell biology, protein chemistry, physiological studies and spectral and other biophysical methods for analyzing protein-protein, membrane-protein and cell-cell interactions.

The multidisciplinary approach allows identification of new factors and the mechanisms that regulate coagulation and inflammation and enables translation of these findings into an appreciation of their physiological role and clinical relevance. In addition to contributing to a fundamental understanding of these systems, the studies have clinical relevance to heart attack, stroke, septic shock, hemophilia, acute organ rejection in transplantation and miscarriages associated with SLE. Several findings by department members have generated patents and licenses that have led to new diagnostics and therapeutics.