Associate professor at AU investigates rhythmic fluctuations in blood vessels
Vladimir Matchkov is an associate professor at the Department of Biomedicine. For many years, he has studied rhythmic fluctuations in the diameter of the blood vessel, known as vasomotion, and he has now received a grant of DKK 3 million from the Lundbeck Foundation to fund a new research project.
Vasomotion is the term for tiny rhythmic fluctuations in the diameter of the blood vessels. The fluctuations are the result of a number of complex interactions between several intracellular pathways – and now a new research project will identify and describe these mechanisms. Together with his team, Associate Professor Vladimir Matchkov will demonstrate the importance of vasomotion for the function of the brain at rest and in the event of ischemic strokes.
The Lundbeck Foundation’s NIH Brain Initiative is awarding DKK 2,999,920 to the project, and the grant will, among other things, support experimental work with animal models and cell type-specific analysis of human brain samples. In addition, there will also be funding for a scholarship for a PhD student to conduct studies at Aarhus University, in collaboration with laboratories in the USA (Boston University and the University of California, San Diego).
“The project deals with a central neuroscientific issue and, at the same time, brings research into vasomotion to a new level of complexity by studying how the rhythmicity of the cerebral blood flow improves oxygen supply and thus the outcome for patients with ischemic stroke. Our goal is to propose tools for improving cerebral blood flow in critical conditions, for example in patients with apoplexy,” says Associate Professor Vladimir Matchkov.
Contact
Associate Professor Vladimir Matchkov DMSc, PhD
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine
Mobile: +45 2183 4982
E-mail: vvm@biomed.au.dk