Our imaging approach is inspired by the innate immune response ubiquitous in many pathologies. We developed fluorescent nano-probes with a variety of surface moieties that mimic leukocyte interaction with the inner lumen of the vascular endothelium. When injected into the blood stream of live animals, these nano-probes circulate throughout the animal’s vasculature. More>>
Resident and recruited macrophages polarize into M1 and M2 subtypes, two extremes in a continuum of polarization states. We introduced the role of ROCK signaling in macrophage polarization. The rho-associated, coiled–coil–containing protein kinases (ROCKs) are cytosolic signaling molecules that contribute to cytoskeletal functions and contractility. More>>
To study the interaction of native mouse blood cells with individual immobilized proteins, we developed the autoperfused mouse flow chamber.
In this experimental system we micro-surgically attach a custom-designed micro-flow chamber assembly to the carotid artery and jugular vein of a live mouse under anesthesia. More>>
The method of choice for measurements of trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) ex-vivo is the Ussing-chamber, named after the Danish physiologist Hans Ussing (1911-2000). His work together with Zerhahn in the 1950s laid the foundation for our understanding of polarized cells.
An Ussing chamber is comprised of two half chambers, which are filled with a buffer, for instance Ringer’s solution. We managed to micro-surgically isolate the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) from the rat eye, which is ~2 mm in diameter. More>>
To overcome the limitations of existing models of diabetes, our team together with our collaborator, Dr. KC Hayes at Brandeis University, introduced the nile grass rat (NGR) as a unique animal model that recapitulates all relevant organ manifestations of diabetes. More>>