The cellular and molecular biology of
macrophages during atherogenesis

The laboratory utilizes cell-culture models and induced mutant mice (i.e., transgenics and knockouts) to explore areas of macrophage cellular and molecular biology that are pertinent to the development of atherosclerosis. During atherogenesis, macrophages become loaded with cholesterol ("foam cell" formation), a process that plays a critical role in this disease process. In this context, the laboratory studies basic cellular processes involved in the uptake, intracellular trafficking, metabolism, and cell biological effects of cholesterol.