Alan Dardik, M.D., Ph.D.

Department of Surgery
Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program
Yale University School of Medicine

From left to right:  Go Kuwahara, Hualong Bai, Michael Hall, Kota Yamamoto, Daniel Wong, Alan Dardik, Roland Assi, Taylor Williams (back), Nirvana Sadaghianloo (front), Daniel Lu, Clinton Protack

Primary Research:
The Dardik laboratory studies the healing and function of blood vessels and synthetic blood vessel substitutes that are used in patients having vascular bypass surgery. We are currently trying to understand the fundamental molecular mechanisms by which vein graft adaptation results in positive remodeling and successful adaptation to the arterial environment, yet often proceeds, in the long-term, to neointimal hyperplasia and graft failure. The laboratory has made the original observation that vein graft adaptation is associated with diminished Eph-B4 expression (Kudo et al., ATVB 27:1562, 2007). We are currently investigating the importance of modulating Eph-B4 function in vein graft adaptation, and have recently published that Eph-B4 is active in adult veins, regulates venous remodeling, and that Eph-B4 function depends on receptor phosphorylation and association with caveolin-1 signaling (Muto et al., J Exp Med 208:561, 2011). We are also examining similar processes in arteriovenous fistulae.

Visit the lab's web site:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dardik-laboratory/135012723202372

Lab Members:

Go Kuwahara, Post-doctoral fellow
Hualong Bai, Visiting vascular surgeon
Michael Hall, Post-doctoral fellow
Kota Yamamoto, Post-doctoral fellow
Daniel Wong, Medical student
Alan Dardik, PI
Roland Assi, Post-doctoral fellow
Taylor Williams, Post-doctoral fellow (back)
Nirvana Sadaghianloo, Graduate student (front)
Daniel Lu, Medical Student
Clinton Protack, Graduate student

Number of trainees in the laboratory: 5 postdoctoral fellows, 2 graduate students, 2 medical students

Recent Publications:

Muto A, Yi T, Harrison KD, Dávalos A, Fancher TT, Ziegler KR, Feigel A, Kondo Y, Nishibe T, Sessa WC, Dardik A. Eph-B4 prevents venous adaptive remodeling in the adult arterial environment. Journal of Experimental Medicine 208(3):561-575 (2011). PMID: 21339325

Eghbalieh SDD, Chowdhary P, Muto A, Ziegler KR, Kudo FA, Pimiento JM, Mirmehdi I, Model LS, Kondo Y, Nishibe T, Dardik A. Age-related neointimal hyperplasia is associated with monocyte infiltration after balloon angioplasty. Journal of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences 67(2):109-117 (2012). PMID: 22016364

Muto A, Panitch A, Kim N, Park K, Komalavilas P, Brophy CM, Dardik A. Inhibition of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Activated Protein Kinase II with MMI-0100 reduces intimal hyperplasia ex vivo and in vivo. Vascular Pharmacology 56:47-55 (2012). PMID: 22024359

Li X, Jadlowiec C, Guo Y, Protack C, Ziegler K, Lv W, Yang C, Shu C, Dardik A. Pericardial patch angioplasty heals via an Ephrin-B2 and CD34 positive cell mediated mechanism. PLoS ONE 7(6):e38844 (2012).

Jadlowiec CC, Feigel A, Yang C, Feinstein AJ, Kim ST, Collins MJ, Kondo Y, Muto A, Dardik A. Reduced adult endothelial cell EphB4 function promotes venous remodeling. American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology 304(7)C627-C635 (2013).

Yamamoto K, Li X, Shu C, Miyata T, Dardik A. Technical aspects of the mouse aortocaval fistula. Journal of Visualized Experiments in press (2012).

Collaborative Relationships:
The Dardik lab continues to collaborate closely with several other labs including the laboratories of Drs. William Sessa, Themis Kyriakides, Laura Niklason, Jay Humphrey, and George Tellides.