Vascular Diversity Laboratory
Lymphatics | Blood Vessels | Cellular Identity
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Rudra Nayan Das, PhD
Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (SNIoE)
Delhi - NCR, India
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Welcome to the world of vascular biology
Greetings and welcome to our digital home!
We are committed to uncovering the secrets of vascular diversity and its vital role in health and disease. Our approach is multidimensional, incorporating the zebrafish model system, advanced cell culture techniques, high-resolution microscopy, and the latest in genomics. We also employ precise genetic manipulations and sophisticated computational tools to deepen our understanding.
Vascular networks, the lymphatic vessels (LV) and the blood vessels (BV), in the vertebrate body display an extraordinary range of morphological and functional diversity. These complex LV/BV systems, composed of endothelial cells (ECs), engage in close interactions with diverse organ microenvironments. Our focus lies in unraveling how ECs develop distinct vessel and organ-specific identities and understanding their vital roles in organ development, function and regeneration.
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Organ-associated vascular diversity
Regulation of lymphatic specializations
Vasculature in Tissue
Regeneration and Repair
Lymphatics in Organ
Development and Homeostasis
Generation of specialized blood vessels via lymphatic transdifferentiation
In this work, we provide the first evidence of an innate developmental program that generates a special type of blood vessel through transdifferentiation of fully differentiated and functional lymphatic vessels (LVs). Furthermore, utilizing a regeneration model, we demonstrated the life-long potency of LVs to generate blood vessels. The work demonstrates the importance of lineage (ontogeny) in governing the final functionality of tissues. These findings represent a significant milestone in our understanding of lymphatic plasticity and have opened new perspectives on vessel diversity.