Jordan Lee
Postdoctoral Fellow
Contact information
Web presence
Biography
About me
I grew up in Ontario and studied kinesiology and exercise physiology as an undergrad. After completing my doctoral studies in cardiovascular physiology, I moved to Calgary to start a postdoctoral fellowship in spinal cord injury physiology. Outside of the lab, I enjoy ballroom and latin dancing, cooking, and being outdoors.
My research
In able-bodied people, the brain controls the heart and blood vessels by sending electrical signals down the spinal cord. After a spinal cord injury, these signals can no longer reach their targets, leading to unstable blood pressure which causes issues like fainting and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death in people with spinal cord injury. Our lab, led by Dr. Aaron Phillips, studies how blood pressure instability develops after spinal cord injury. Moreover, we are using this knowledge to develop implantable spinal cord stimulating devices which send electrical signals into the spinal cord to restore control of blood vessels after spinal cord injury. In fact, our lab is conducting the first clinical trial in Canada studying the effect of spinal cord stimulation for blood pressure instability after spinal cord injury.
BRAIN CREATE program aspirations
As a BRAIN CREATE trainee, I plan to participate in an international academic exchange in 2024 to learn research techniques allowing me to record electrical activity from nerves controlling cardiovascular function. Our lab will then use this technique to study the underlying physiology for how spinal cord stimulation improves cardiovascular health in people with spinal cord injury.
Commercialization
The clinical trial we are working on will help inform future development of spinal cord stimulators for treatment of spinal cord injury. This treatment has the potential to become the first line treatment after someone has a spinal cord injury. This will also help pave the way towards translating this therapy over to other conditions plagued by blood pressure instability, such as in people with Parkinson’s disease.
Publications
Awards
Alberta Innovates Postdoctoral fellowship