Core A — Administrative Core
Overall Goal of Core A:
Core A will coordinate and oversee the research efforts of the individual projects to maximize project synergy and ensure administrative and regulatory compliance.
Central Hypothesis
The Core will organize monthly meetings and teleconferences, organize multi-project manuscripts, organize a scientific advisory board (SAB), and will plan annual in-person meetings of all PPG personnel with the SAB. The biostatistics and bioinformatics component of Core A will provide ongoing statistical consultation to research projects, focusing on issues such as experimental design, statistical analysis, sample size, and power considerations. Dr. Jie Chen will provide expertise in statistics, bioinformatics and statistical modeling of genomic data. Dr. Dong will assist with cell identify evaluations and computational analyses of transcriptomic data (bulk and single cell (sc)RNAseq, bulk and scATACseq data) generated in each project. Dr. Fulton will assist with administrative aspects of Core A.
Core Leader
Dr. Tohru Fukai
- Core A Lead
Barbara Schnuck Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology in the Vascular Biology Center at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Dr. Tohru Fukai is a leading expert in the role of oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymes (copper (Cu) containing enzyme, extracellular SOD (ecSOD) & Cu transport proteins, key regulators of Cu metabolism & enzymes in vascular disease over the past twenty years. His laboratory has provided the first evidence that vascular Cu transport proteins such as “Cu transporting ATPase” (ATP7A) functions to protect against endothelial dysfunction & hypertension by regulating the activity of ecSOD which preserves NO bioavailability by scavenging its biological antagonist, superoxide. He also found that the Cu exporter, ATP7A, is downregulated in diabetic blood vessels which contributes to endothelial dysfunction. In preliminary studies, he has found that ATP7A is downregulated in inflamed ECs which promotes glycolysis by upregulating PFKFB3 as well as mitochondrial ROS, which may contribute to EndoMT & atherosclerosis in a Cu-dependent manner. These studies will be carried out in collaboration with Drs. Ushio-Fukai (Co-Investigator, Co-I) (expert on mitochondrial ROS & redox signaling) & Yuqing Huo (Co-I) (expert on PFKFB3-dependent EC metabolism & atherosclerosis). In the context of the proposed program, He will study the role of Cu transporter ATP7A in EC metabolism, oxidative stress & atherosclerosis.
Dr. Fukai will serve as the PPG Director (Contact), Project 1 Leader, & Director of Core A, the Administrative Core.
Core Team
Dr. Tohru Fukai
- Core A Lead
Dr. Masuko Ushio-Fukai
- Co-Investigator
Dr. Jie Chen
- Co-Investigator
Dr. Kunzhe Dong
- Co-Investigator
Dr. David Fulton
- Contributor
Audrey Forbes
- Administrative Specialist