Research ›

Randolph L. Geary, MD

Professor of Pathology (Comparative Medicine) and Surgical Sciences (General Surgery)

Institute for Regenerative Medicine; Director, Vascular Biology Laboratory (General Surgery); Diplomate, FACS

Tel: (336) 716-3188
Fax: (336) 716-9758
rgeary@wakehealth.edu

Current Research:

Artery Wall Remodeling and Restenosis

Current research focuses on mechanisms of recurrent lumen narrowing at sites of arterial reconstruction (restenosis) and gene expression profiling in smooth muscle cell populations within normal and diseased human and nonhuman primate arteries. To this end, we have recently characterized the response to angioplasty and intra-arterial stenting in a unique nonhuman primate model of atherosclerosis. Current studies are focused on the correlation between changes in artery wall geometry and lumen narrowing after angioplasty. The importance of cell-matrix adhesive interactions in restenosis is being addressed in experiments using inhibitors of cell-surface integrins and non-integrin receptors for extra-cellular matrix components and inhibitors of matrix degrading metalloproteinases (MMP). Human cDNA arrays have been employed to define profiles of expression in monkey tissues with success. Systematic characterization of smooth muscle cell phenotype in normal and diseased vessels of primates is being applied to experiments of artery wall remodeling.