Carol Subah Packer Associate Professor, (past)

Smooth muscle mechanics and biochemistry

My basic research interests are in smooth muscle mechanics and biochemistry: I am mainly interested in sophisticated mechanical studies that allow insight to smooth muscle function at crossbridge level, and in biochemistry directly related to the activity and control of contractile proteins. In addition, I am interested in the mechanical behavior and changes in biochemical control of contraction of vascular muscle, airway and bladder muscle in such pathophysiological conditions as essential systemic hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, lung vascular injury such as occurs in response to reactive oxygen species, ischemia-reperfusion and neutrophil injury, asthma and interstitial cystitis. I have been deeply involved for a number of years in studies assessing the role of smooth muscle in the initiating causative mechanisms and the signal transduction pathways of essential systemic hypertension, hypoxic vasoconstriction and vasoactive oxidant (H2O2 and oxidized LDL) - induced vasoconstriction. These studies have been continuous and are on-going.