Lab: Microcirculation and Vascular Regeneration Laboratory

Microcirculation and Vascular Regeneration Laboratory

Location: 192-328 & 181-451(A)
Coordinator: Dr. Trevor Cardinal

Principal Investigator
Trevor Cardinal, PhD
tcardina@calpoly.edu
805-756-6244

Graduate Students
Isobelle Espiritu
Ricardo Lasa
Jessica Scherer
Colleen Richards
Quentin Klueter

Undergraduate Students
Olivia Welch
Jordan Ambrose
Ada Tadeo
Nick Dion
Sammi Shi
Christine Do
Jaden Frazier
Elsa Bean
Karly Knox
Mahina Saucedo
Makenzie Jones
Randy Hau
Simon Park
Chloe Zimovets

Laboratory Mission Statement
The mission of our lab is to advance biomedical understanding while educating future generations of scientists and engineers, providing students with opportunities to learn by creating knowledge and ideas. Our primary objective is to understand the impact of vascular disease on blood flow control, which we hope will provide the foundation for advanced therapeutics to improve vascular health.

General Research Interests
Our laboratory is at the nexus of two fields- microcirculation and cardiovascular regenerative medicine, hence the lab name. Specifically, we are interested in how the regulation of skeletal muscle blood flow is impacted by arteriogenesis* and risk factors for vascular disease. Studies investigating blood flow control are typical in the microcirculation field, while studies investigating arteriogenesis are typical in the cardiovascular regenerative medidine field. We combine these two fields to understand how various aspects of vascular disease impact the control of skeletal muscle blood flow. Unfortunately, vascular disease and its many risk factors impair the regulation of skeletal muscle blood flow, which can lead to leg pain while walking and decreased quality of life. Although all tissues depend on nutrient and waste exchange through blood, the massive increase in muscle metabolism that occurs when transitioning from rest to locomotion needs to be supported by a similarly massive increase in blood flow. When blood flow doesn’t increase sufficiently, patients experience a burning sensation referred to as intermittent claudication. If left untreated, vascular disease can worsen to the point where limb tissues no longer heal, and amputation is required (vascular disease is the #1 cause of lower limb amputation). Therefore, we hope to understand why various aspects of vascular disease impair the regulation of blood flow to skeletal muscle, and how cell transplantation and exercise can improve these processess blood flow. Although our focus is skeletal muscle, our research is applicable to vascular disease of the heart, aka coronary heart disease- the leading cause of death in the US.

*arteriogenesis is the enlargement of natural bypass arteries after a main artery is blocked

Laboratory Methods
Our studies involve one or more of the following- surgery, cell transplantation, in vivo microscopy, and immunofluroescence.

Publications (Lab Members Bolded)

Gouin KH, Hellstrom SK, Clegg LE, Cutts J, Mac Gabhann F, Cardinal TR, Arterialized collateral capillaries progress from non-reactive to capable of increasing perfusion in an ischemic tree, Microcirculation. 2017 Dec 28 [Epub ahead of print]

Guendel AM, Martin KS, Cutts J, Foley PL, Bailey AM, Mac Gabhann F, Cardinal TR, Peirce, SM, Murine Spinotrapezius Model to Assess the Impact of Arteriolar Ligation on Microvascular Function and Remodeling, Journal of Visualized Experiments, 73, 2013.

Cardinal TR, Struthers KR, Kesler TJ, Yocum MD, Kurjiaka DT, Hoying JB, Chronic hindlimb ischemia impairs functional vasodilation and vascular reactivity in mouse feed arteries, Frontiers in Physiology, 2:91, 2011

“Microcirculations” in Nature
After viewing photomicrographs of vascular networks so often, we have begun to “see” these elegant, almost artisitc structures everywhere. After exercising your left brain on the papers and posters above, exercise your right brain with the pictures below.

Gorgonian Coral photographed in the Great Barrier Reef by David Danzeiser looks a lot like the interconnected capillaries of the lung.

Roots from a Maple Tree penetrating a burl on a Large Western Red Cedar (according to Dr Matt Ritter) in Stanley Park, resemble microvessels feeding a solid tumor.

Alumni
Name	Degree	After Graduation
Mary Kate Evans	BS, BME 2018	PhD at U Penn
Christopher Hatch	BS, BME 2019	PhD at UC Irvine
Mark Landon	MS, BME-Regenerative Medicine 2019	Scientist at ThermoFisher
Madison Hubbard	BMS, BME-Regenerative Medicine 2019	Engineer at ViaCyte
Courtney Nickell		R&D Engineer at Edwards Life Sci
Vahid Hamzeinejad	BMS, BME-Regenerative Medicine 2018, Report	Engineer at ViaCyte
Tanner Quon	BMS, BME-Regenerative Medicine 2018, Report	PD Associate at Capricor
Chris Tran	BMS, BME-Regenerative Medicine 2018, Report	MD, Cal Northstate U
Eric Magill	BMS, BME-Regenerative Medicine 2017, Report	Second Lieutenant, US Marine Corps
Ethan Tietze	BMS, BME-Regenerative Medicine 2017, Report, Senior Project	Research Associate, Leiber Institute
Padon Sivesind	BMS, BME 2017, Thesis	Process Engineer, Kite Pharma
Britta Nelson	BMS, BME 2017, Thesis, Senior Project	R&D Engineer at Meditrina
Megan Chu	BMS, BME 2016, Thesis, Senior Project	Manufacturing Engineer, NeoTract
Kenny Gouin	BMS, BME-Stem Cell Research 2016, Report, Senior Project	PhD, Cedars Sinai
Patrick Paine	MS, BIO-Stem Cell Research 2016, Report	Research Associate, Stanford
Laura Burckhardt	BMS, BME 2015, Thesis, Senior Project	EP-TSS, St Jude Medical
Ashli Santos	BS, BME 2015, Senior Project	Medical Assistant Program
Travis Suttle	MS, BIO-Stem Cell Research 2015, Report	R&D, Capcicor Therapeutics
Caitlin Koeroghlian	BS, BME 2014, Senior Project	Biomechanics Engineer, Biomechanica
Amanda Krall	BS, BME 2014, Senior Project	EP-TSS, St Jude Medical
Ashkon Nehzati	BMS, BME 2014, Senior Project	ER Scribe, Apply to DO
Sara Hellstrom	BMS, BME 2014, Senior Project, Thesis	Process Engineer, St Jude Medical
Jennifer Go	BMS, BME-Stem Cell Research 2014, Report, Senior Project	Project Engineer, NDC
Josh Cutts	BMS, BME-Stem Cell Research 2014, Report, Senior Project	PhD, Arizona State University
Paul Heckler	BS, BMED 2014, Senior Project	R&D Engineer, Altaviz
Stephan Papp	BS, BIO 2014	MD, University of Colorado
Allison Peck	BMS, BME 2013, Senior Project	Mech Engineer, Home Dialysis Plus
Robert Chacon	MS, BIO-Stem Cell Research 2013, Report	Lab Manager, Stanford/VA
Daniel Hoover	BS, BME 2013, Senior Project	MD, Loma Linda University
Paige Czarnecki	BS, BME 2012, Proprietary Project	Applications Engineer, inviCRO
Ryan Gallagher	BMS, BME 2012, Thesis	Quality Engineer, Alcon
Tyler Smith	BS, BME 2012 Proprietary Project	PhD, UCLA
Andrew Tilton	BS, BIO 2012, Senior Project	Research Associate, SRI Int’l
Chris Li	BS, BIO 2012	MD, Boston University
Whitney Cole	BMS, BME-Stem Cell Research 2012, Report	ER Scribe, apply to MD
Ian Mahaffey	BMS, BME-Stem Cell Research 2012, Report	Quality Engineer, Boston Scientific
David Danzeiser	BMS, BME, 2012, Thesis	World traveler
Alexander Bynum	BMS, BME 2011, Thesis	Quality Engineer, Stryker
Michael Govea	BMS, BME 2011, Thesis	R&D Engineer, Boston Scientific
Michael Machado	BMS, BME 2012, Senior Project	Thesis, Dr K Cardinal
Thomas Harper	BMS, BME-Stem Cell Research 2011, Report	Research Associate, UCSD
Anna McCann	MS, BIO-Stem Cell Research 2011, Report	PhD, U of Washington
Andrew Burch	MS, BIO-Stem Cell Research 2011, Report	PhD, UC Davis
Kyle Struthers	BMS, BME 2011, Thesis	EP-TSS, St Jude Medical
Shilpi Ghosh	MS, BME 2010, Thesis	MBA, Indian Inst of Foreign Trade
Joe Zhu		OD, New Engl College of Optometry
Phil Chang		TDP, Edwards Life Sciences
Emily Deckert	BS, BME 2010, Senior Project	EP-TSS, St Jude Medical
Thomas Kesler	BS, BME 2010, Senior Project	MD, New York Medical College
Matthew Yocum	MS, ENGR (BME) 2009, Thesis	MD, Medical College Wisonsin
Allyse Alex	BS, ASCI 2008	Clinical Embryology
Stephanie Wood	MS, ENGR (BME) 2008, Thesis	MD, UC Irvine