Lucy Liaw, Ph.D.
May 31, 2022
Faculty Scientist III and ProfessorDirector, Research Training Programs
MaineHealth Institute for Research
Primary Research:
Our lab is interested in understand signaling pathways that control vascular health and disease. In particular, we focus on the interactions of perivascular adipose tissue with the vessel wall, using models of vascular disease and metabolic dysfunction. Mouse models focus on targeting pathways in smooth muscle cells, mature adipocytes, and preadipocytes in perivascular adipose tissue. Dietary interventions such as high fat diet leading to obesity, or calorie/methionine restriction leading to a lean phenotype, mimic metabolic disease or health. We are also actively studying populations with vascular pathologies to define molecular characteristics of diseased blood vessels and peri-aortic fat in humans. These studies have led to identification of unique human adipose progenitor cells in perivascular adipose tissue. We are studying the relationship between the cardiometabolic status of donors, the molecular characteristics of their perivascular adipose tissue, and the differentiation potential of these adipose progenitor cells.
Laboratory web site URL:
https://mmcri.org/?page_id=682