Our research group within the L.E.I.C.A laboratory focusses primarily on protection of heart, blood vessels  (endothelium) against temporary periods of no oxygen and inflammatory stress stimuli. Our main goal is to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of different organ protection strategies with a focus on experiments in the heart, in vitro and in vivo and  endothelial cells.

1. As diabetes impairs endothelial functions in both macro- and micro vessels, leading to development of multiple cardiovascular diseases we search to understand the mechanims that underlies different vascular protective strategies. Clinical studies have shown that  sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i’s) significantly improve cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Previous studies in our laboratory employing resting human endothelial cells suggest that SGLT-2i’s directly exert anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. We developed dynamic cellular models that mimic mechanical forces and disturbed shear stress induced endothelial dysfunctions in order to investigate the direct effects of SGLT-2i’s on activated endothelium.

2. Diabetic neuropathy is a neurodegenerative disorder that preferentially targets sensory neurons. Although highly prevalent, we still have large gaps in our knowledge concerning the pathophysiology and treatment of diabetic neuropathy. The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells provided researchers with a new method of acquiring sensory neurons to develop disease-specific models. We aim to develop such a model of diabetic neuropathy and apply its data to the field of anesthesiology. 

vascular protection, endothelial integrity, inflammation, SGLT2i