Our lab studies inflammatory mechanisms involving inflammasome and pyroptosis with animal models of chronic vascular disease (thrombosis, atherosclerosis, and aortic aneurysm) as well as acute inflammation (sepsis). We use start-of-the-art methods such as live-animal imaging with multiphoton microscopy and single cell transcriptomics. We are also interested in exploring the intersection of cardiovascular diseases and other diseases such as obesity/diabetes and cancer.

Our long-term goal is to understand how inflammatory events mediate disease processes and how inflammation is sustained and resolved in disease processes, and develop therapeutics against atherosclerosis, the leading cause of coronary heart disease. We have broad exposure to different inflammatory mechanisms in both chronic and acute inflammation (atherosclerosis and sepsis) and cell biology of endothelial cells and macrophages.

Recently We discovered that macrophage pyroptosis, a novel form of programmed cell death, triggers blood clotting and cause host death through the release of tissue factor-positive microvesicles in sepsis (Immunity 2019, Citation 76). Our current research focuses on the mechanisms of pyroptosis-induced coagulation and explore it as a general driving force underlying the development and progression of various diseases. We are also seeking to identify disease-specific microvesicles as biomarkers by integrating our research and learning of pyroptosis and microvesicle biogenesis.

Single Cell RNAseq and Spatial Transcriptomics in Inflammatory Diseases

This project is aimed to explore the heterogeneity of gene expression at single cell level, under both normal physiology and pathophysiological condition. We will use the HPC cluster to run pipeline for sequence data analysis.

Personell:

PI: Congqing Wu

Computational Methods:

We run sequence analysis pipelines built on open-source as well as commercial software.

Software:

STAR, cellranger, spaceranger

Collaborators:

Hong S. Lu (UK)

Grants:

Publications:

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