Vascular biology and functional foods

Professor David Kerins 

My research has focussed on aspects of vascular biology. Initially my attention was on the process of platelet activation in the setting of coronary thrombolysis (fibrinolysis). This indicated that in a human study that we initiated that platelet activation did indeed occur when patients received therapeutics t-PA. These observations were followed by a series of studies in an experimental model of coronary thrombosis that demonstrated the mechanisms and extent of platelet activation and explored mechanisms to limit the deleterious effects of such platelet activation.

I welcome enquires from students interested in discussing MSc or PhD opportunities. If you have ideas for collaborations on existing work or would like to discuss your own research interests then I am more than happy to discuss this with you in the first instance by email d.kerins@ucc.ie

Further studies examined the interaction between the fibrinolytic pathway and the renin-angiotensin system. They included the initial demonstration that the angiotensin IV receptor was biologically active in regulating the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1). The role of the fibrinolytic pathway in organ regeneration and in the process of atherosclerosis were also the subject of many studies. Most recently these interests are applied in a study of the effects of functional food products on a variety of parameters that influence thrombosis and coagulation as part of the NationalFunctional Food Research Center grant at UCC. My role in this project is a lead investigator in the section on cardiovascular disease (working party 6d).

In addition to an interest in the basic science of vascular biology I have also developed a more clinically active interest in non-invasive cardiac imaging. This has resulted in studies to address the role of echocardiography and of magnetic resonance imaging in vascular disease. This is currently expressed in a joint study with colleagues from the Department of Rheumatology at Cork University Hospital in the evaluation of preclinical atherosclerosis in a patient population with rheumatoid arthritis.