The long-term objective of our research is to develop
a fundamental understanding of the role of arterial fluid mechanics
in the development of atherosclerosis and neointimal hyperplasia.
To this end, we are conducting both whole-vessel (macroscopic)
and cellular (microscopic) studies. The macroscopic studies involve
investigations of macromolecular transport within the arterial
wall, experimental and computational studies of arterial flow
fields, and numerical investigations of the flow fields in the
vicinity of intravascular stents. The microscopic studies focus
generally on the responsiveness of vascular endothelial cells
to fluid mechanical stimulation and more specifically on the mechanisms
by which endothelial cells distinguish among and respond differentially
to different types of fluid mechanical stimuli. Specific endothelial
flow responses of interest include activation of ion channels,
alteration of gene and protein expression, and cytoskeletal reorganization.
