Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care

Faculty Members

Ling Chen, M.D., Ph.D. Ling Chen M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director Laboratory of Physiological Genomics

Department: Division
Medicine: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Research Interests:

Mechanisms of Cardiac Dysfunction During Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia
Mechanisms of Cardiac Dysfunction Following Brain Death

Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA) contributes an increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality including systemic hypertension, heart failure, and stroke. One of mechanisms responsible may be related to repetitive hypoxia-reoxygenation resulting from recurrent pharyngeal airway collapses during sleep. Indeed, a rat model with chronic intermittent hypoxia mimics many cardiovascular sequelae of OSA, such as increased blood pressure and left ventricular dysfunction. Our data also demonstrates increased oxidative stress in the myocardium during chronic intermittent hypoxia, suggesting by increases in lipid peroxidation, decreases in Cu/Zn SOD, and upregulation of sodium hydrogen exchanger-1 expression. Our research projects include determining the up- and downstream mechanisms responsible and cardioprotective effects of antioxidants and inhibition of sodium hydrogen exchanger-1.

The lifetime risk of developing heart failure is 1 in 5 for men and women. For late-stage heart failure, only heart transplantation offers meaningful long-term survival, about 50% at 10 years. An estimated 100,000 patients in the United States might meet criteria without major contraindications for heart transplants; however, the procedures are limited to 2,200 yearly by the shortage of suitable donor hearts. Unfortunately, donor hearts often remain viable for only a short period of time following brain death. The mechanisms leading to cardiac deterioration following brain death are still unknown. We have recently developed an animal model of brain death. This allows us to examine mechanisms initiating cardiac dysfunction following brain death. Our goal is to develop novel strategies for treatments of organ donors or/and donor hearts, and to improve availability and quality of suitable donor organs.

Biography:

BACHELOR OF MEDICINE, Hubei Medical College, Hubei, China,
MASTER OF MEDICINE, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
DOCTOR OF MEDICINE (PhD equivalent), Tongji Medical University, Hubei, China
Research Fellow, Long Island Jewish Medical Central, New Hyde Park, NY
Research Fellow, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
Research Fellow, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director Physiological Genomics Core Laboratory, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Contact Information:
Office Tel: 410-706-4920

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This page was last updated on: October 11, 2007.

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