Adrian

Background: Previous experiments using organoid culture of small vessels have shown inward remodeling in vessels kept at a constant pressure, with no flow. Inward remodeling is an undesired phenomenon affecting small arteries in hypertension and possibly downstream to an arterial stenosis. At this moment there is not yet a deep knowledge of the mechanisms causing vascular remodeling.

Hypothesis to be assessed: Inward remodeling might be inhibited by flow. The step forward brought by the setup I am using: the ability to provide and measure flow through the cannulated vessel.

cannulation chamber. the vessel is cannulated at both ends using glass micropipettes, then kept in a chamber allowing superfusion fluid recirculation. the vessel is continuosly perfused with a protein-containing culture mediu

Object of study: small arteries and arterioles from the coronary tree (porcine)

Setup: organoid culture: vessels are cannulated and kept for 3 days in culture in an environment which aims to mimic the physiological 'in vivo' parameters (both chemical and physical)

the flow setup:besides the cannulation chamber itself, the setup is made of glass reservoirs (two for the perfusion fluid - upstream and downstream, and one for superfusion fluid), connecting tubes, peristaltic pumps (one for superfusion and one for recirculation of the perfusion fluid and the evaluation of flow), an electromagnetic flow sensor, in-line pressure sensors (upstream and downstream), two computer controlled pumps for driving intravascular pressure and pressure gradients, a videocamera for continuous diameter tracking and two computers for data aquisition and processing. Most of the components of the setup are kept in an incubator set at the desired temperature.

Type of intervention: flow is applied to the study vessel; no flow for the control vessel

Outcome: vascular remodeling is evaluated at the end of the culture period; an estimate of remodeling is given by the passive diameter variation over the 3 days of culture (passive diameter = diameter of the fully dilated artery). At the end of the culture period, morphology, gene expression and enzyme activity will be studied using histological and biochemical methods.


Current PhD studies	Adrian Pistea
	The main objective of my project is to study the effects of flow and pressure and their interaction on remodeling and the associated matrix biophysics and biochemistry, using cannulated arteries and arterioles in organoid culture. Background: Previous experiments using organoid culture of small vessels have shown inward remodeling in vessels kept at a constant pressure, with no flow. Inward remodeling is an undesired phenomenon affecting small arteries in hypertension and possibly downstream to an arterial stenosis. At this moment there is not yet a deep knowledge of the mechanisms causing vascular remodeling. Hypothesis to be assessed: Inward remodeling might be inhibited by flow. The step forward brought by the setup I am using: the ability to provide and measure flow through the cannulated vessel. cannulation chamber. the vessel is cannulated at both ends using glass micropipettes, then kept in a chamber allowing superfusion fluid recirculation. the vessel is continuosly perfused with a protein-containing culture mediu Object of study: small arteries and arterioles from the coronary tree (porcine) Setup: organoid culture: vessels are cannulated and kept for 3 days in culture in an environment which aims to mimic the physiological 'in vivo' parameters (both chemical and physical) the flow setup:besides the cannulation chamber itself, the setup is made of glass reservoirs (two for the perfusion fluid - upstream and downstream, and one for superfusion fluid), connecting tubes, peristaltic pumps (one for superfusion and one for recirculation of the perfusion fluid and the evaluation of flow), an electromagnetic flow sensor, in-line pressure sensors (upstream and downstream), two computer controlled pumps for driving intravascular pressure and pressure gradients, a videocamera for continuous diameter tracking and two computers for data aquisition and processing. Most of the components of the setup are kept in an incubator set at the desired temperature. Type of intervention: flow is applied to the study vessel; no flow for the control vessel Outcome: vascular remodeling is evaluated at the end of the culture period; an estimate of remodeling is given by the passive diameter variation over the 3 days of culture (passive diameter = diameter of the fully dilated artery). At the end of the culture period, morphology, gene expression and enzyme activity will be studied using histological and biochemical methods.
	About myself: Born and raised in Brasov (www.brasov.ro), Transylvania, Romania; had a lot of fun in highschool (http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/romanian/tour97/pics/saguna.html), Physics was my favourite subject; Med School in Bucharest (1995-2001; Medico-Military Institute - http://www.miledu.ro/imm.html, Faculty of Medicine, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, Romania - www.univermed-cdgm.ro); first contact with cardiovascular research: University of Bristol, UK (1997), 3 months scholarship including the preclinical cardiovascular module ; since then, working in this field became the aim of my evolution. During university studies: part-time work in a research team lead by dr. Ioan Mircea Coman (MD, PhD; [email protected]) at the "C.C.Iliescu" Cardiovascular Diseases Institute Bucharest, Romania (focus on: coronary heart disease; hypercoagulability syndromes). After graduation: master in Biophysics and Cell Biotechnology (2001-2003; same Univ. of Med & Pharm Bucharest, www.biophysics.ro), and then - worked in the Romanian Army's Medical Research Institute for 4 months in a morphology lab lead by dr. Mihai Eugen Hinescu, MD, PhD; [email protected]). Started this PhD project on 1st of May 2003.

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