Cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, occurs at an earlier age in men compared to women. Research in our laboratory focuses on understanding how endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels, and platelets, which help the blood to clot, differ in men and women and how these cells participate in development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and formation of blood clots which lead to heart attack, stroke and blood clots in the legs.

Our interdisciplinary team includes collaborators from Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Infectious Diseases, Surgery, Radiology, and Internal Medicine (Divisions of Endocrinology, Cardiology, Hematology and Nephrology). Specific experiments are designed to study how sex hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, change the way endothelial cells and platelets respond in men and women as they age (for example at puberty, mid-life, and menopause).

One study is a multicenter clinical trial called KEEPS (Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study). Women between the ages of 42-58, in their early menopause, will be either untreated or treated with estrogen to see if the estrogen treatment slows progression of atherosclerosis.

Other experiments examine how infections hasten development of atherosclerosis. An exciting aspect of this work is identifying calcifying nanoparticles in diseased human blood vessels that are also found in geological specimens including meteorites from Mars. Changes in endothelial cells and platelets can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Increased understanding of how hormones alter these cells may lead to development of therapies to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease.