Lucy Liaw

Research/Areas of Interest

My laboratory has extensive experience studying signaling in vascular disease, with an emphasis on smooth muscle biology during injury and pathology. Recently, we extended our focus to include study of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT), which is essential in providing a specialized microenvironment for blood vessels. PVAT is contiguous with the vascular adventitia, providing a local source of secreted adipokines that act directly on the vessel wall. Our research vision is to characterize the molecular changes that occur in PVAT and the underlying blood vessel during metabolic dysfunction, which collectively lead to susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. We aim to translate this understanding by testing human PVAT and blood vessels to validate biomarkers of vascular disease susceptibility, identify novel therapeutic targets, and gain mechanistic understanding of PVAT dysfunction. Our discoveries will provide innovative advances for cardiovascular science and clinical care.