VASCULAR ION CHANNEL LABORATORY

Cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension induce vascular dysfunction prior to the development of lethal disease states like atherosclerosis. Vascular ion channels are important regulators of vascular tone and the impairment of these ion channels is a significant contributor to disease processes.

Our laboratory is focused on identifying mechanisms of vascular dysfunction in the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and how vascular ion channels play a role in the disease process. We use a combination of physiological, cellular, and molecular techniques to investigate ion channels in disease pathways in animal models and human subjects. We aim to provide novel therapeutic targets to prevent the advancement of cardiovascular disease in at risk individuals.

Director: Ibra S. Fancher