Dr. Irena Levitan
Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Bioengineerings
PhD, Department of Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Postdoc, Department of Physiology, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Contact
Office:
email: [email protected]
Phone: (312) 996-0441
Rotation Projects
Membrane Biophysics and Cytomechanics in Vascular Biology Lab Our goal is to elucidate biophysical molecular mechanisms of vascular dysfunction in hypercholesterolemia and dyslipidemia, focusing on ion channels, cytomechanics and mechanotransduction. Our work provided fundamental new understanding of cholesterol regulation of ion channels, paradoxical relationship between membrane and cellular biomechanics and provided significant novel insights into endothelial response to flow.
The current projects focus on
(i) endothelial biomechanics in obesity and aging; (ii) wound healing and angiogenesis; and (iii) mechanosensitive ion channels in atherosclerosis and hypertension.
– Impact of Dyslipidemia on Endothelial Biomechanics.
– Cholesterol-Kir Interactions.