ABSTRACT: Vascular cells adapt and respond to biomechanical forces. The focal nature of most cardiovascular diseases has been linked to a dysfunctional response of endothelial cells and blood components to local hemodynamic forces. My lab studies the role of hemodynamic forces in the initiation, progression and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In this talk I will present work we have done using three dimensional cell culture models to simulate the vascular hemodynamic environment in order to answer questions on how endothelial cells (ECs) and blood components respond to flow.
The models have demonstrated that in regions of wall shear stress gradients (WSSGs) ECs adopt an inflammatory phenotype and increase leukocyte attachment to the vessel wall can occur. The modeling technique has also been used to better understand the non-lipid lowering benefits of statin therapy. Most recently we have been using the models to investigate the role of the glycocalyx and cytoskeleton in EC mechanotransduction. Overall this work highlights the sensitivity of vascular pathophysiology to biomechanics and the need to include hemodynamic stimuli in drug discovery.