Established at The Hope in 1999, the Department of Vascular Biology focuses on understanding the regulation of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis - two processes by which capillaries and larger blood vessels are formed.

Our approach is to elucidate the interactions of cells with their surrounding extracellular matrix at the molecular level. We are currently studying several types of proteins that are involved in different regulatory pathways of vascular formation.

We hope to understand the regulation of angiogenic processes such that increasing vascularization - specifically to ischemic areas of the body - becomes a reality. This type of therapy will lead to treatments for cardiovascular disease that are less invasive than traditional surgeries.

Dr. E. Helene Sage, PhD

Projects in Dr. Sage's laboratory are focused on the role of secreted proteins in the regulation of cell behavior. The lab has contributed extensively to the field of extracellular matrix, including the collagens (their structure and function) and the matricellular proteins (such as SPARC, hevin, and thrombospondin). A combinatorial approach involving cell biology, models of human disease, and protein chemistry has produced insights into the regulation of cancers, would healing, and developmental processes by these various proteins.

Thomas N. Wight, PhD

• Projects in Dr. Wight’s Laboratory involve defining the role that proteoglycans play in vascular diseases including atherosclerosis and restenosis, diseases of the lung such as asthma and autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes. Special emphasis is placed on how these extracellular matrix molecules influence events associated with inflammation. Other projects involve developing the use of proteoglycan genes and products of those genes to bioengineer vascular tissue in order to maintain normal vasculature structure. Specific projects in this area include evaluating the mechanism(s) by which proteoglycans influence extracellular matrix assembly such as formation of elastic fibers. Projects related to this tissue engineering approach include developing “designer extracellular matrices” to be used in the treatment and engineering of tissues destroyed by trauma and/or disease.
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Robert B. Vernon, PhD

Extracellular matrix is the complex substance outside of cells that provides structural support to living tissues. Dr. Vernon’s laboratory focuses on understanding how extracellular matrix regulates cell behavior – in particular, the behavior of cells that participate in tumor growth (e.g., endothelial cells of blood vessels) and in wound repair (e.g., fibroblasts of connective tissue). Additionally, his laboratory is developing functional replacements for diseased, injured, or lost tissues. These engineered tissues are comprised of cells that are grown in contact with supportive scaffolds made from natural extracellular matrix molecules (e.g., collagen). The scaffolds are specially configured to promote the survival, organization, and function of the resident cells and to limit rejection and scar formation by the patient. Engineered tissues under development include replacements for blood vessels, ligaments, skin, and – for treatment of diabetes – the endocrine pancreas.

Michael G. Kinsella, PhD

Dr Kinsella leads research efforts to understand how the molecular environment of cells within blood vessels helps to regulate vascular cell responses during development, injury and disease. A central project in this laboratory seeks to understand how a large macromolecule in the extracellular matrix (perlecan) regulates cell proliferation in the artery wall and reduces inflammation of the blood vessels. These processes are important both during development of atherosclerosis and the restenotic remodeling of vessels after surgical intervention to repair narrowed or damaged arteries. These studies may provide a novel approach to limit narrowing of blood vessels due to hyper-proliferation of vessel wall cells, and to regulate immune responses to vascular disease.