Minority Predoctoral Fellowship Program

Kansas State University, Manhattan KS

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant): No thesis selected. My focus will be on the regulatory processes involved in oxygen delivery and the exchange involved at that site of exchange. Dr. Poole's laboratory and those of his colleagues (including Dr. Tim Musch, Dr. Rick McAllister, Dr. Thomas Barstow E each currently NIH funded], Dr. Craig Harms, and Dr. Howard Erickson) will provide an excellent, productive and scientific environment in which to further my scientific development. They employ a range of state-of-the-art techniques to study different aspects of oxygen transport. For example, their laboratory employs the recently developed phosphorescence quenching to measure microvascular oxygen pressure within muscle in healthy and diseased tissues. This technique allows rapid and accurate measurements of oxygen pressure at the site of exchange without contamination from intracellular oxygen stores and permits quantification of 02 uptake to 02 delivery (i.e. V02/Q02) matching. In combination with intravital microscopy techniques, such measurements provide unique and valuable insights to the determinants of microvascular 02 exchange. In addition, they utilize a range of different disease models, which include emphysema (hamster), chronic heart failure (rat) and Type I diabetes (rat). Moreover, in collaboration with Dr. Howard Erickson, they have an extremely active equine physiology program that facilitates examination of the mechanical bases for exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, vasoactive control of the systemic circulations and respiratory control. I believe that a greater understanding of these processes is fundamental to defining basic physiological function in health and dysfunction in major disease conditions that afflict humans.