Our research laboratory focuses on the roles of the blood coagulation and fibrinolytic systems in vascular disease.
We are interested in the molecular processes that determine acute thrombus formation after vascular injury, as well as those that regulate subsequent thrombolysis. We also are interested in how components of the blood clotting and fibrinolytic systems contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic vascular disorders, such as atherosclerosis and restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions. We study these issues by a variety of experimental approaches, ranging from in vitro studies with purified proteins to intact animal studies. In particular, we rely heavily on murine models of vascular injury and thrombosis, since they enable us to examine the impact of specific genes on complex biologic processes within the living animal. These projects address the role of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 as a risk factor for myocardial infarction, and the molecular basis of the variable sensitivity of patients to anticoagulation with warfarin.
