Investigators in the Lakshmi Santhanam Lab examine the fundamental mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease. They are particularly interested in better understanding how nitric oxide-mediated S-nitrosylation (a post-translational protein modification) impacts protein function and trafficking in the vasculature as well as how this relationship influences matrix remodeling and vascular stiffening.

Research in the Lisa Yanek Lab focuses on cardiovascular disease in families and risk factor modification. Recently, we conducted a study to determine the association of lean versus fat mass with fitness in healthy, overweight and obese African Americans from families with early-onset coronary disease.

The Lima Lab’s research is concentrated on the development and application of imaging and technology to address scientific and clinical problems involving the heart and vascular system. Specifically, our research is focused on developing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast techniques to investigate microvascular function in patients and experimental animals with myocardial infarction; functional reserve secondary to dobutamine stimulation and myocardial viability assessed by sodium imaging; and cardiac MRI and computed tomography (CT) program development of techniques to characterize atherosclerosis in humans with cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease. Current projects include: • The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study • The MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) Study • The Coronary Artery Evaluation using 64-row Multidetector Computed Tomography Angiography (CORE64) Study Joao Lima, MD, is a professor of medicine, radiology and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Research in the Lee Bone Lab uses community-based participatory approaches to promote health in underserved urban African-American populations. We conduct randomized clinical trials on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer detection and control in order to test the success of community interventions. We focus in particular on making interventions sustainable and on implementing electronic education to improve communication.

The Halushka laboratory is interested in the overarching question of expression localization in tissues. To address this, the laboratory has set out upon several avenues of discovery in the areas of microRNA expression, proteomics and tissue gene expression. Many of these queries relate to the cardiovascular field as Dr. Halushka is a cardiovascular pathologist. Come learn about the science being done in the laboratory.

The Arking Lab studies the genomics of complex human disease, with the primary goal of identifying and characterizing genetics variants that modify risk for human disease. The group has pioneered the use of genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which allow for an unbiased screen of virtually all common genetic variants in the genome. The lab is currently developing improved GWAS methodology, as well as exploring the integration of additional genome level data (RNA expression, DNA methylation, protein expression) to improve the power to identify specific genetic influences of disease. The Arking Lab is actively involved in researching: • autism, a childhood neuropsychiatric disorder • cardiovascular genomics, with a focus on electrophysiology and sudden cardiac death (SCD) • electrophysiology is the study of the flow of ions in biological tissues Dan E. Arking, PhD, is an associate professor at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University.

The Maryam Jahromi Lab researches infectious diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis, endocarditis, viral hemorrhagic fevers, brucellosis, Clostridium difficile and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. We are particularly interested in the impact of the influenza vaccine on systemic inflammation. Recent areas of focus include the relationship between influenza vaccination and cardiovascular outcomes, the emergence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran, and prospects for vaccines and therapies for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

The Michael Klag Lab focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Our research determined that the U.S. was experiencing an epidemic of end-stage kidney disease, pinpointed the incidence of kidney disease and published scholarship on risk factors for kidney disease such as race, diabetes and socioeconomic status. Our Precursors Study has shown that serum cholesterol measured at age 22 years is a predictor for midlife cardiovascular disease, a finding that has influenced policy about cholesterol screening in young adults. We also research health behaviors that lead to hypertension and study how differences in these behaviors affect urban and non-urban populations.

Research in the Sherita Golden Lab focuses on identifying endocrine risk factors associated with the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We conduct our research by incorporating measures of hormonal function into the design of clinical trials of cardiovascular risk modification, observational studies of incident cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and studies evaluating diabetic complications.

The Systems Biology Lab applies methods of multiscale modeling to problems of cancer and cardiovascular disease, and examines the systems biology of angiogenesis, breast cancer and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Using coordinated computational and experimental approaches, the lab studies the mechanisms of breast cancer tumor growth and metastasis to find ways to inhibit those processes. We use bioinformatics to discover novel agents that affect angiogenesis and perform in vitro and in vivo experiments to test these predictions. In addition we study protein networks that determine processes of angiogenesis, arteriogenesis and inflammation in PAD. The lab also investigates drug repurposing for potential applications as stimulators of therapeutic angiogenesis, examines signal transduction pathways and builds 3D models of angiogenesis. The lab has discovered over a hundred novel anti-angiogenic peptides, and has undertaken in vitro and in vivo studies testing their activity under different conditions. We have investigated structure-activity relationship (SAR) doing point mutations and amino acid substitutions and constructed biomimetic peptides derived from their endogenous progenitors. They have demonstrated the efficacy of selected peptides in mouse models of breast, lung and brain cancers, and in age-related macular degeneration.