Dr. Nicholas E. Sibinga

Vascular disease, the greatest single cause of morbidity and mortality in developed societies, results from interactions between circulating inflammatory cells, the endothelium that lines the vasculature, underlying vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) that comprise most of the arterial wall, and stem/progenitor cells found in the surrounding adventitia. The underlying pathogenesis is complex: factors that impinge on these cell types include reactivated developmental pathways, innate and acquired immune responses, and changes in cell function that result from physical stresses, perturbed blood flow, and biochemical stimuli. Our general approach is to characterize these responses at the molecular level, in cultured cells, and in mouse models that reflect specific types of vascular injury, including atherosclerosis, mechanical trauma, and transplant-associated arteriosclerosis.

He is actively involved in clinical research, co-authoring 2 peer reviewed articles.