Fields of Research

Molecular and Systems Physiology

Focus

Our research aims to understand how physiological signals are integrated across organs to maintain cardiovascular stability, and how these networks break down in injury, physiological challenges, aging, and disease. We study the vascular system as both a sensor and communicator—regulating metabolism, oxygen supply, immune coordination, and regenerative responses.

A particular focus lies on RNA-mediated mechanisms, including long noncoding RNAs that organize chromatin programs during vascular remodeling and repair. Linking molecular pathways to organ and interorgan physiology, we define how vascular signals shape systemic health.

Tools

We combine molecular biology, quantitative physiology and computation to study cardiovascular regulation across scales. Single-cell omics, spatial profiling, and high-throughput transcriptomics allow us to map cellular states with precision.

Next-generation injury and disease models enable controlled perturbation of vascular metabolism, redox pathways, and RNA-regulated repair processes. Systems-physiology approaches – hemodynamics, metabolic flux analysis, and interorgan communication assays – link these molecular signals to functional outcomes, revealing how vascular cues coordinate whole-body physiology.

Model

We employ a spectrum of complementary systems to study vascular and organ-level physiology. Murine models of vascular injury, regeneration, and aging allow us to interrogate redox biology, metabolic pathways, and RNA-mediated gene regulation in vivo. Human primiary culture models, as well as organotypic culture systems, capture vascular behavior under controlled conditions and permit mechanistic dissection of chromatin- and RNA-based regulation.

Collaborative platforms integrate humanized model systems and next-generation cardiovascular disease models, enabling us to connect molecular pathways to organ function, systemic metabolic responses, and regenerative capacity.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Molecular and systems physiology links molecular mechanisms to organ and whole-body function, allowing researchers to understand how cellular processes scale up to physiological regulation.

Processes such as signaling pathways, RNA regulation, and metabolism influence how tissues and organs maintain homeostasis and respond to stress.

Because cardiovascular function emerges from interactions between multiple organs, requiring an integrative perspective beyond single pathways or cell types.