The Vascular Biology program studies the development of new blood vessels, working to uncover where stem cells go and what they do once transplanted into the body. Specific projects are looking to engineer cells and scaffolding biomaterials to make cell therapies detectable in the body after transplant using MRI, ultrasound or other imaging tools for conditions like diabetes, cancer and stroke. Additional studies are investigating the role of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs)—proteins that regulate oxygen consumption—in the maintenance of cancer stem cells within breast tumors and the ability of cancer cells to evade the immune system. Scientists are also trying to develop proteins to inhibit HIF for the treatment of cancers and blinding eye diseases.
Faculty
Jeff W.M. Bulte, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Professor of Oncology
Director of Cellular Imaging, The Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering, Director of Scientific Communications, Department of Radiology
Patrick Cahan, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics
Gregg L. Semenza, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Chemistry
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Oncology
Professor of Pediatrics
Professor of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences
Director, Vascular Program, Institute for Cell Engineering