Immunology and Cell Biology

Cellular Adhesion, Migration, and Inflammation

Leukocytes and other cells go to various tissues to engage with certain antigens or to produce a reaction to any inflammatory event. Any infection or injury that causes inflammation results in a complicated chain of events that includes swelling, discomfort, heat, and redness of the inflamed region.

The primary cause of illness and mortality in the US is atherosclerosis, which manifests as coronary, cerebral, and peripheral arterial vascular disease. From the epidemiologic discovery of cardiac risk factors to a growing comprehension of the molecular underpinnings of vascular pathobiology, our understanding of the process of thermogenesis has developed.

Over the past ten years, evidence has accumulated supporting the idea that chronic inflammation plays a part in thermogenesis and that the development of the atherosclerotic plaque is aided by a widespread cellular and humeral inflammatory response. Understanding the molecular causes of inflammation in the vasculature is essential to identifying possible locations of intervention to slow or stop the development of atherosclerosis.