The global focus of the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory is the study of pulmonary exercise physiology, particularly as it pertains to pulmonary disease, normal aging, obesity, ventilatory control during exercise, applied respiratory physiology, and clinical cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The Lab consists of three separate investigative laboratories: the pulmonary function laboratory, the cardiopulmonary exercise physiology laboratory, and the body composition laboratory including DEXA imaging for the determination of percent body fat, lean body mass, bone content, visceral fat, overall fat distribution, and their effects on breathing.
We are broadly interested in how energy is regulated on a systems level during infection. Our current projects are focused on understanding the role that adipose tissue plays in the response to influenza and SARS-CoV2.
The Reinecker laboratory unravels and targets molecular mechanisms of key human genetic variants that cause chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer by creating novel genetic mouse and human organotypic model systems.
Research in the Rothermel Laboratory focuses on deciphering the molecular mechanisms that control cardiac structure and function during normal development and in response to pathological stress.
A major focus of our lab is to identify mechanisms of cardiomyocyte cell cycle regulation, and discover ways to reawaken regenerative pathways in the adult mammalian heart. We are also developing several structural, molecular, and physiological tools to interrogate the mechanistic underpinnings of various forms of cardiomyopathy.
Satterthwaite Lab studies the signals that control B lymphocyte development, activation, and differentiation into antibody-secreting plasma cells, both normally and in autoimmune diseases such as lupus. We hope that by defining these events, we can reveal new approaches to modulate antibody responses therapeutically.
The Saxena lab's research interests include Icodextin in high peritoneal transporters; Kremezin study in patients with chronic kidney disease; SV40 in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis; molecular studies in lupus nephritis.
The main focus in our laboratory is the identification and physiological characterization of adipocyte-specific gene products and the elucidation of pathways that are an integral part of the complex set of reactions that drive adipogenesis.
Research in the Thermal and Vascular Physiology Laboratory focuses on neural control of the cardiovascular system and how different stressors influence that control in healthy, diseased, and injured individuals, such as:
Identifying the consequences of severe burn injuries and subsequent skin grafting on the ability of the burn survivor to regulate internal temperature and cardiovascular function.
Understanding the consequences of aging on cardiovascular stress during simulated heat waves.
Exploring cooling modalities to attenuate thermal and cardiovascular stress.
Understanding how analgesics used on the battlefield affect autonomic control of blood pressure during hemorrhage.
This information will appear on the lab listing page.The Tong lab studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases associated with systemic metabolic disorders, particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), with an eye toward translating these findings into innovative solutions to clinical problems.
Dan Tong, M.D., Ph.D.
Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection FractionAtrial FibrillationClonal Hematopoiesis
Cell and Molecular BiologyGenetics, Development and Disease
My research interests include prevention of progression of renal diseases, diagnoses, and management of lipid disorders in renal disease, hypertensive nephrosclerosis, the role of angiotensin II converting enzyme inhibitors, and angiotensin II receptor blockers in renal disease.
Our team at UT Southwestern is conducting the study Improving Chronic Disease Management with Pieces (IDC-Pieces) in patients with coexistent chronic kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension.
Dr. Vongpatanasin studies neural control of blood pressure and the influence of various hormones and antihypertensive agents on autonomic control of blood pressure in humans.
We are interested in understanding at a cellular level the neural control of energy balance and glucose metabolism, and elucidating how these events may participate in human disease.
The focus of our current research is the biochemistry and molecular characterization of ABCG5/ABCG8 transporter, aiming at understanding the mechanism by which this transport system operates to translocate cholesterol cross membranes.
We are interested in how metabolism regulates various behaviors. We use two invertebrate model systems of C. elegans and D. melanogaster, ultimately aiming to unveil conserved neuro-molecular mechanisms throughout animals including mammals.
Zaman’s Lab focuses on the design and development of novel cutting-edge multi-mode imaging systems to overcome current limitations in clinical systems. Most recent research project is involved with the design and developed of a multimode catheter-based imaging system called a Circumferential Intravascular Radioluminescence Photoacoustic Imaging (CIRPI) for early detection of thin-cap-fibro-atheroma (TCFA), the underlying causes of coronary artery disease, one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the USA and worldwide. Further, the CIRPI system characterizes the plaques based on disease tissue compositions to unravel their complex structures. This CIRPI system integrates optical, photoacoustic, radioluminescence and ultrasound imaging. We seek to better understand the underlying causes of the disease mechanisms. We are dissecting the role of TCFA perturbations on vascular wall processes during atherosclerosis progression. Our lab also studying novel molecular imaging methods to study coronary arterial disease, carotid stenosis, and myocardial ischemia in subcellular level.
In the Zhang Lab, we seek to understand the molecular mechanisms of metabolic diseases, with the long-term goal of creating novel therapeutic strategies.
Our lab is interested in understanding the relationship between injury, regeneration, and cancer. We are focused on identifying the genes and mechanisms that regulate regenerative capacity in the liver and understanding how these contribute to hepatocellular carcinoma development.
