Cooke Lab News

Dr. Cooke, with his mentor Dr Paul Vanhoutte, at the Vanhoutte lecture
during the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego April 2008.

Stroke Manuscript

Stroke is a devastating disease that affects about 750,000/year people in the United States, ranks as the third leading cause of death, causes long-term disability and imposes an economic burden on the health care system. In a recent study, published online on June, 29 2006 in Stroke, it was shown that short term infusion of ADMA in healthy subjects decreased cerebral blood flow. Furthermore, the arterial stiffness, an important prognostic marker of cardiovascular events, also increased in response to ADMA infusion. These results suggest that ADMA is an important endogenous modulator of cerebral vascular tone and may be involved in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular disease. Click here to read more

Grant awarded to light the link between cigarettes and stroke

A Stanford research team led by Dr. John Cooke, Professor of Medicine and head of the Vascular Biology and Medicine Program at Stanford, has been awarded a grant from the Tobacco-related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) to study the role of tobacco in stroke. The TRDRP was established after California voters approved Proposition 99 “The Tobacco Tax and Health Protection Act of 1988”. This initiative specified that a percentage of the cigarette surtax be set aside to support research efforts related o the prevention, causes and treatment of tobacco-related diseases. The award to Dr. Cooke will support 3 years of research to define the mechanism by which tobacco contributes to stroke.

A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel to the brain. The interrupted blood flow injures and kills some brain cells in the affected area. However, a large number of brain cells may recover if blood flow can be restored. The injury to the brain can be reduced by its generation of new blood vessels, in a process known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis can restore blood flow to tissues with blocked vessels. Dr. Cooke’s group will determine how chronic exposure to tobacco may impair the ability of the brain to respond effectively to insufficient blood flow. Specifically, chronic exposure to tobacco may impair the ability of the brain to generate new blood vessels. Dr. Cooke’s group will be assisted by that of Dr. Gary Steinberg of the division of Neurosurgery. Clearing the smoke on the mechanisms by which nicotine causes stroke might open new therapeutic avenues that are badly needed as stroke affects about 750,000 people in the US every year, putting it among the leading causes of death and greatest cause of long-term disability.

Cooke Lab Postdocs Receive Kudos at NAVBO/SVMB meeting 2005

Drs. Jan Kielstein and Hakuoh Konishi were each recognized as finalists in the Junior Investigator competition at the Chicago vascular meeting June 16-19. The meeting (Vascular Medicine and Biology 2005:  From Molecules to man) brought together the SVMB (Society of Vascular Medicine and Biology) and NAVBO (North American Vascular Biology Organization) for a conjoint meeting.  The meeting attracted international participation and a very competitive group of abstracts for the Junior Investigator Awards.  Dr. Kielstein presented his work on the role of ADMA in regulating cerebral blood flow in humans.  Dr. Konishi presented his intriguing findings with the DDAH transgenic mouse, which produces more endogenous NO and exhibits faster endothelial healing and less lesion formation. More pictures here.

Dr Cooke has been elected to the Presidency of the SVMB

The SVMB is a society dedicated to the mission of promoting clinical care, education, and research in Vascular Medicine and Biology. The SVMB has played a leading role in public health initiatives, professional medical education and health care advocacy in Vascular Medicine. For more information about the SVMB and Vascular Medicine, please go to www.svmb.org