The overarching research mission of the Nystoriak lab is to improve our understanding of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of cardiovascular health disease.
Cardiovascular aging: The Nystoriak lab focuses on understanding how the heart changes with age. Advanced age is a significant risk factor for declining cardiac function. Ongoing research aims to uncover how alterations in energy metabolism and vascular control of oxygen delivery throughout life may contribute to and accelerate cardiac impairment. The lab tests specific metabolic interventions to restore adequate blood delivery in older individuals, with the goal of preventing or reversing age-related declines in cardiovascular function and exercise tolerance.
Identifying and pursuing new drug targets to treat microvascular diseases: Microvascular dysfunction often leads to poor clinical outcomes, particularly in women. Therapeutic options are limited due to a lack of understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms. Recent research in the Nystoriak lab has identified proteins that interact with a family of ion channels in blood vessels and function as molecular sensors of oxygen demand in the heart. During moderate or strenuous exercise, as a healthy heart's oxygen consumption and demand increase, these sensors trigger the dilation of small arteries, boosting blood flow instantaneously. The lab is testing the efficacy of small molecules targeting these proteins to enhance the coupling between oxygen supply and demand, offering potential improvements for patients with vasodilator impairment.
Electrical remodeling and arrhythmia: Another focus of the Nystoriak lab is understanding how specific lifestyle factors affect cardiac electrical conduction and rhythmicity. For instance, novel tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes pose significant cardiovascular risks, but the toxicity profiles of many aerosol constituents remain unknown. The lab is investigating how certain chemicals increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias by directly and indirectly impacting ion channel function and cardiac conduction pathways.
