Vascular Biology
In the research programme Vascular Biology, we study the mechanisms that regulate blood and lymphatic vessel growth and function during embryo development, in adults and in diseases.
The cardiovascular system comprises the heart, the blood and lymphatic vessels, and the circulation of blood and lymph. It performs essential functions that are vital to tissue growth and function, maintenance of the body’s fluid balance, and immune surveillance. Accordingly, vascular dysfunction is linked to numerous pathologies, including cancer.
A particular focus of our research is to understand the molecular basis of the specialisation of vessels required for different organs to fulfil their particular functions. We also study mechanisms underlying vascular diseases, including vascular malformations, and how vascular and immune systems co-ordinately contribute to diseases such as cancer, autoimmune disease and thromboinflammation.
Research groups
- Pontus Aspenström – Rho GTPases in cancer cell migration
- Lena Claesson-Welsh – Vascular biology
- Konstantin Gängel – Vascular malformations and anomalies
- Kaska Koltowska – Cellular and molecular dynamics of lymphangiogenesis
- Peetra Magnusson – Inflammation, thrombosis and ischemia in vascular biology
- Taija Mäkinen – Regulation of lymphatic vasculature
- Johan Rönnelid – Immune complexes and associated autoantibodies in rheumatic diseases