Director: Zhenyu Qin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular / Endovascular Surgery |
Email |
Biosketch
Vascular metallomics is an emerging subject to study the biological role of metal ions and their signaling pathways in the vasculature using techniques including molecular biology, cell biology, genetics as well as analytical chemistry and photon physics. Interesting topics in this field include:
- Genetic and molecular genetic basis for regulation of metallomes and epigenetic factors in vascular disease.
- Regulation of the uptake, accumulation and metabolism of metals in vascular cells and tissues.
- Physiological and pathological mechanisms related to trace elements in vascular homeostasis and disease.
The Vascular Metallomics Research Laboratory at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Department of Surgery is a multidisciplinary laboratory dedicated to investigate new evidence of the participation of metal anion in the development of vascular disease, with a particular emphasis on the function of ATP7A, a cellular copper egress pump. We anticipate that our study will enhance our knowledge of the interaction between metal metabolism and vascular homeostasis at a pathological and physiological level and result in the development of innovative techniques and significant concepts for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of vascular disease.
The background of the top figure is metallic topography of a part of a mouse heart produced by synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy at the Argonne National Laboratory.
