The Cardiovascular Therapeutics (CV-PEUTICS LAB), formerly known as the TEMIM LAB’s primary research focus lies in the area of cell and engineered tissue mechanics with application in cardiovascular regenerative medicine. The CV-PEUTICS Lab, conducts both experimental and computational investigations in this area. A major goal of the lab is to develop functional valves with regenerative capacities (FVRC) using 1) porcine small intestinal submucosa (PSIS) substrates and 2) mechanically regulate stem cells for the FVRC application as well as for (3) broader application in cardiovascular regenerative medicine. Concurrently the CV-PEUTICS lab is also working towards the elucidation of mechanobiological cellular and molecular mechanisms that are involved in the etiology of valve diseases, particularly aortic valve calcification. Two specific projects in this area involve: (4) the delineation of flow conditions of the aortic valve that may serve to elucidate mechanosensitive pathways in vascular and valvular cells that lead to calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), that in turn can be utilized for the development of an engineered CAVD tissue model system for drug discovery.  (5) Computational biomechanical models that can help elucidate sub-clinical thrombosis (and stroke) risks in patient-specific geometries after undergoing a trans-aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure.

The research in the CV-PEUTICS Lab has been supported by the AHA, the Miami Heart Research Institute, NSF, industry and academic funding sources.