The Tatara Laboratory applies engineering technologies to study and treat infectious diseases. We are particularly engaged in device-related infection, orthopedic immunology, and pathogen virulence on biomaterial surfaces. 

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.

The global focus of the Cardiovascular Physiology Autonomic Function Laboratory is to examine the adaptive capacity of the circulation.

• We study the effects of exercise training, bed rest deconditioning, spaceflight, high altitude, aging, and the effects of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure.
• By using sophisticated tools to assess cardiovascular structure and function, our research team brings "Olympic" and "space age" science to the solution of common clinical problems such as fainting, hypertension, or patients with shortness of breath. 
• We focus on measuring how the cardio-respiratory system distributes oxygen from the environment to the muscles.
• Our facility is one of the few labs in the world that can measure the limitations to exercise capacity at every step along the "oxygen cascade" - including the lungs, heart and muscles.
• We use invasive and non-invasive tools to assess cardiovascular structure and function, as well as circulatory control mechanisms.

Research in Dr. Crandall's 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.

Our laboratory has a particular interest in hepatic metabolism and its regulation by the immune system. We utilize genetic, epigenetic and proteomic approaches, combined with detailed physiological studies, to understand the complex mechanisms that causally link inflammation to metabolic dysfunction in obesity and fatty liver disease.

Preventing Cognitive Decline by Reducing Blood Pressure Target Trial (PCOT)
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are doing a study to prevent cognitive decline in adults by reducing blood pressure.

The CDR Collaborative studies last mile delivery problems across the cancer control continuum to develop and implement solutions.

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 Beckham lab is a dynamic multidisciplinary laboratory that studies viral pathogenesis and neuroimmune responses.

A major focus of the Horton lab is to determine how these transcriptional regulators contribute to the development of steatosis in various disease processes such as diabetes, obesity, and beta-oxidation defects. A second area of investigation centers on determining the function of PCSK9, a protein that is involved in determining plasma LDL cholesterol levels through its ability to post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of the LDL receptor in liver.