Isakson, Brant
Primary Appointment
Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics
Education
- PhD, University of Wyoming
Contact Information
PO Box 801394
Telephone: 4-2093
Email: brant@virginia.edu
Website: http://cvrc.virginia.edu/isakson
Research Disciplines
Biotechnology, Cardiovascular Biology, Metabolism, Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, Translational Science
Research Interests
Translating our discoveries in the microcirculation to tangible benefits in patients.
Research Description
The etiology of many cardiovascular diseases can be traced to the microcirculation, which is the primary focus of the Isakson lab. For example, high blood pressure as well as strokes or heart attacks are all due to dysfunction at some level in the microcirculation. As the name implies, the microcirculation consists of the smallest arteries and veins, and these small blood vessels are responsible for modulating blood pressure, delivery of oxygen to tissue, and regulating the inflammatory response. The Isakson lab has made important discoveries in each of these areas that includes development of genetically modified mouse models, several patented products, as well as research disclosures. Our research has shown that by altering particular proteins in the blood vessels of the microcirculation, we can drastically lower blood pressure; if we focus on a different set of proteins, we can severely reduce inflammation and damage incurred by stroke or heart attack. We have an ongoing IRB to recruit human volunteers to further test these ideas and pull our research into an eventual treatment modality.