Vascular Smooth Muscle and Human Diseases

We are interested in researching smooth muscle, which is different from skeletal muscle and the muscle in the heart. Smooth muscle is present within the walls of all internal organ systems, such as the blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, bladder, and uterus. One of the major roles of smooth muscle is to maintain proper organ shape through its ability to contract and relax. If smooth muscle loses this ability, it can result in clinical symptoms of a disease. For example, clinical hypertension can result from too much contraction of blood vessel smooth muscle. Additionally, too much growth of smooth muscle cells can cause thickening and hardening of the blood vessel wall, a condition known as atherosclerosis, which is a major cause of heart attack and stroke. In summary, our research focuses on understanding why smooth muscle loses its contractility and why these muscle cells can grow uncontrollably.