The research in our laboratory focuses on the functional differences of physiologically important small arteries and veins of the body and how these differences impact the development of cardiovascular dysfunctions in various diseases. Details of specific areas of interest are detailed below:

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and pulmonary hypertension
Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is a vital homeostatic mechanism that matches local perfusion of the lung to local ventilation. When a region of the lung becomes hypoxic, the pulmonary arteries in this region constrict, thereby diverting blood flow to better ventilated areas of the lung. However, when the hypoxic episode is global, the increase in pulmonary vascular resistance is detrimental as it results in a sustained pulmonary hypertension, for which the prognosis is often poor. Our laboratory is currently investigating the possible roles of the endothelium and the extracellular matrix may play in both the acute and chronic consequences of hypoxia.

Endothelial regulation of vascular tone
The endothelium was initially thought to act as a passive barrier in blood vessels. However, in the past few decades, it has become apparent that the endothelium plays a vital role in regulating vascular tone. While the majority of researchers in this field have focused upon nitric oxide as the major potential endothelium-derived relaxing factor, we are currently investigating the possibility that the most important relaxing factors released from the endothelium are in fact S-nitrosothiols. This work is currently being done in collaboration with Dr. Stephen J. Lewis (University of Virginia) and Dr. James N. Bates (University of Iowa).

Equine Laminitis
Laminitis is a crippling condition in horses where the integrity of digital laminae is compromised leading to loss of support of the distal phalanx within the keratinized hoof wall. One of the most perplexing aspects of laminitis is that this condition is not primarily the result of insult or injury to the digit, but is usually associated with “systemic” conditions such as grain overload, placenta retention and grazing on lush pasture. However, upon instigation, the progression of laminitis is similar irrespective of the initial causative systemic condition. It is, therefore, likely that a common pathway(s) or mechanism(s) exists that can be activated by a variety of disparate systemic conditions that in turn results in the development of laminitis.

Our laboratory studies the physiological properties of the small laminar arteries and veins and how the regulation of tone in these blood vessels is altered during the development of laminitis. This work is done in collaboration with Drs. John Peroni, David Hurley, Michel Vandenplas, Douglas Allen and James N. Moore, who form the laminitis research group here at UGA. It is hoped that this collaborative effort will provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of this devastating disease.