The Sutherland Group – Peri-vascular function in health and disease
Our group aims to understand how the vascular system contributes to the function of the brain and other organs, and how this becomes dysfunctional in disease.
We perform laboratory-based research investigating the contribution of the vascular system to the health of the brain and other organs including skeletal muscle and the placenta. For tissue cells (e.g. neurons) to function, they require energy which is supplied by the vascular system but the mechanisms that control this locally are complex. We currently focus our research on a cell on capillaries called pericytes, which can regulate capillary blood flow and therefore organ function. We are interested in how pericytes function, communicate between the tissue and the blood vessel, signalling pathways controlling this, and how these processes go wrong in diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.
Expertise
- In vivo models of disease (stroke, Alzheimer’s disease)
- Transgenic mice
- Immunohistochemistry/Immunofluorescence
- Cerebral blood flow
- In vitro models
- Microscopy (confocal, epifluorescence)
- In vivo two-photon imaging
- Histology
- Molecular assays (qPCR, Western blotting)
Projects
Blood vessels squeezed to death by pericytes: a new therapeutic target for ischaemic stroke.
This project will use in vitro and in vivo models to assess how pericytes, a specific cell that controls blood flow in the brain, are affected by stroke and will identify mechanisms that could be targeted as a treatment strategy for stroke.
Pericyte dysfunction limiting energy supply in Alzheimer’s disease. One possible cause of Alzheimers disease (AD) is narrowing of small blood vessels (capillaries) within the brain, limiting blood flow and energy supply. Pericytes, a cell found only on capillaries, maintain blood flow throughout the brain. In AD, pericytes may die leading to an energy deficit and memory problems. We are using human brains and animal models to determine whether pericyte loss causes AD and how this is happening.
The role of pericytes in placental function and perinatal outcome. This project will assess how pericytes, a specific cell that may control blood flow in placenta, could contribute to restricted growth of babies during pregnancy.
Group Leader(s)
Affiliation
Contact
Email:
Brad.sutherland@utas.edu.au
Group members
Dr Gary Morris
Lachlan Brown
Catherine Foster
Natalie King
Hannah Coombe
Jake Cashion
Additional Information
We work closely with a number of local collaborators including Dr Dino Premilovac, Prof David Howells, A/Prof Kaylene Young, A/Prof Alison Canty, A/Prof Tony Cook, Prof Lisa Foa and Prof Anna King