Events

Roles of Extracellular Matrix in Large Artery Health and Disease

Rice Bioengineering Colloquium Presenter: J.D. Humphrey, Ph.D., John C. Malone Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University.

ABSTRACT—The proper function of large (elastic) arteries requires the homeostatic maintenance of appropriate compliance yet sufficient structural integrity. Clinical findings over the past 15 years have established a detrimental role of increased stiffness of these vessels in aging and hypertension, which in turn are precursors to diverse cardiovascular diseases. One of the most devastating conditions of large arteries is aneurysm followed by dissection and/or rupture. In this talk, we will consider the importance roles of three primary components of extracellular matrix in arterial stiffening, aneurysms, and dissection. Namely, we will consider experimental and computational results on the roles of elastic fiber integrity, turnover of fibrillar collagen, and aggregating glycosaminoglycans /proteoglycans.

Back to top