The University of Vermont (UVM) is internationally recognized for vascular research via the Department of Pharmacology of the UVM College of Medicine, which also includes the UVM Medical Center, the largest hospital in Vermont (500 physicians jointly employed by the UVM Medical Center and the UVM College of Medicine). Founded in 1791, the UVM is among the oldest universities in the United States, and currently offers a M.D. program, 21 doctoral programs, and 46 master's degree programs, with an annual operating budget around $600 million.
To support the successful completion of the goals of this proposal, the UVM has an excellent staff with 92% of full-time UVM faculty holding a Ph.D. or the highest degree in their field. The UVM research is propelled by an annual average funding of $121,500,000, mostly (85%) from federal grants and contracts. This environment places the UVM at the critical junction in our research on small vessel disease (SVD) of the brain, as it is central to vascular biology, neuroscience, neurology, aging and hypertension.
UVM will lead WP1 (BP and BPv), have the experimental lead in WP5 (Interventions) and will further contribute to WP 2, 3, and 5.
Prof. Mark T. Nelson
University Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics,
Professor, Department of Surgery at the University of Vermont;
Professor, Institute of Cardiovascular Science, School of Medicine, University of Manchester, UK;
Visiting Professor of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, UK;
Board of Directors for the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont;
North American Coordinator for a Fondation Leducq Transatlantic Network of Excellence grant (Anne Joutel, European Coordinator): "Pathogenesis of small vessel disease in the brain" (website)
Primary research focus is understanding the mechanisms by which active neurons in the brain control local cerebral blood flow and neurovascular coupling.
Prof. Nelson is a work package leader (WP1) in SVDs@target.
Dr. Masayo Koide
Research Assistant Professor
Ph.D. in Pharmacology, University of Shizuoka, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Shizuoka, Japan 2005;Ph.D. in Medicine, University of Hamamatsu, School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan 2005.
Research Interests: Cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology. Regulations of cerebral arterial tone and global/local cerebral blood flow (ion channels, intracellular signal transduction and neurovascular coupling). Vascular dysfunction and cerebral vasospasm following strokes.
Postdoctoral Associate
My overall research interest is to understand how endothelial and contractile cells in the smallest blood vessels of the brain and retina regulate blood flow. I am also interested in blood vessel dysfunction during cerebral small vessel disease. I utilize single cell to whole animal techniques to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms which lead to normal and diseased vessel function. I have also developed a pressurized retina preparation to better understand vessel behavior where pressure and flow conditions can be manipulated in an intact tissue.
Dr. Adam GreensteinSenior Lecturer in Cardiovascular Medicine
BSc (Hons) Pharmacology, University of Manchester 1994, MB ChB, University of Manchester 1997, MRCP (UK), London 2001, Ph.D., University of Manchester 2009
Dr. Adam Greenstein is a consultant physician with responsibility for general medicine, geriatrics and hypertension. His research investigates a relationship between human patient weight gain and developing hypertension.
