Of interest to

Vincent Turitto

Description of Research Program:

The research in this laboratory centers around the influence of fluid dynamic factors on basic physiological processes, such as blood coagulation and cell attachment. The interest in this line of research arises from observations that altered or abnormal flow patterns present, i.e., in the vicinity of prosthetic heart valves, around and within cerebral aneurysms or adjacent to atherosclerotic lesions, may contribute to the pathological events associated with these situations. In our cell culture facility, we grow various vascular cells, such as, monocytes, smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells in order to examine their response to well-defined fluid flow conditions. We are particularly interested in their expression of tissue factor (TF), a transmembrane protein that initiates hemostasis. Both colorimetric assays to detect enzymatic activity and molecular biology techniques to probe for TF mRNA are being utilized in these studies.

Current Projects Include:

1. Tissue factor activity of human vascular cells in flow.
2. Flow in cerebral aneurysms.
3. Production of microparticle formation by shear in vascular cells.
4. Effect of packing or stent placement on flow in aneurysms.

Recent Publications:

Balasubramanian V, Grusin NK, Bucher
RW, Turitto VT, Slack SM. Residence-time dependent changes in fibrinogen adsorbed to polymeric biomaterials.
J Biomed Mater Res 44: 253-260, 1999.

Balasubramanian V, Hall CL, Shivashankar S, Slack SM, Turitto VT.
Vascular cell attachment and procoagulant activity on metal alloys.
J. Biomat. Sci. Polym Edn 9: 1349-1359 (1998).

Turitto VT, Hall CL.
Mechanical factors influencing hemostasis and thrombosis.
Thrombosis Research 92: 25-31, 1998.

Turitto VT, Slack S.
Blood and related fluids.
In: Handbook of Biomaterial Properties. (J Black ad G. Hastings, Eds.)
Chapman & Hall, London 1998, p 114-124.

Hall, CL, Taubman, MB, Nemerson, Y, Turitto, VT.
Factor Xa generation at the surface of cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells in an in vitro flow system.
(J Biomech Engr 120:484-490, 1998)

Hall CL, Slack SM, Turitto VT
A computational analysis of the generation of FXa by the TF: VIIa complex on the surface of cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells.
Ann Biomed Engr 26:28-36, 1998.

                                                                        [ Back ]