Cerebrovascular disease and brain health
Our research team studies how the health of blood vessels in the brain affects brain function, especially in aging and conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and brain inflammation.
Our research focuses on a key part of the brain's defense system called the blood-brain barrier. This barrier protects the brain by tightly controlling what gets in and out of the bloodstream. When the barrier is damaged, harmful substances can leak in, leading to brain problems. We use cutting-edge tools, including brain cell cultures, genetically modified zebrafish and mouse models, to understand how certain proteins, like VEGFR1, affect the health and function of blood vessels in the brain.
One of our key findings is that amyloid-beta, a protein linked to Alzheimer's, can damage the cells that line brain blood vessels. This damage leads to leaky blood vessels, inflammation and faster brain aging. These changes make it harder for the brain to get the nutrients it needs and can speed up memory loss and cognitive decline.
Our goal is to uncover exactly how these blood vessel changes happen and how they contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer's. By doing so, we hope to pave the way for new treatments that protect brain blood vessels and improve brain health during aging.
Neurovascular dysfunction and neurodegeneration
This schematic illustration shows our research on vascular dysfunction, blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakage, and neuronal loss characteristic of aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. We're exploring how aging contributes to neurovascular dysfunction and neurodegeneration. With advancing age, endothelial cells in the brain undergo structural and functional decline, leading to blood-brain barrier disruption. This increased permeability allows toxic molecules and inflammatory mediators to enter the brain, exacerbating the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Activated microglia further amplify inflammation, promoting neuronal stress and degeneration.