The Cardiovascular Pulmonary Research Laboratory (CVP) maintains a set of highly integrated research cores that provide investigators with advanced experimental, analytical, and translational capabilities for studying pulmonary vascular disease.
These cores work together to support the full continuum of research—from experimental disease modeling and physiological phenotyping to tissue pathology, spatial molecular profiling, and computational analysis. By integrating these complementary approaches, the CVP cores enable investigators to link physiological changes in disease models with molecular mechanisms identified in tissue samples, ultimately accelerating discoveries relevant to pulmonary hypertension and related cardiopulmonary disorders.
The three core facilities operate in close collaboration to provide a comprehensive platform for multidisciplinary research:
• Spatial Transcriptomics and Molecular Profiling Core
• Histopathology Core
• Animal and Hemodynamics Core
Together, these cores form a coordinated infrastructure that supports both basic discovery and translational research within the CVP program.
Animal and Hemodynamics Core
The Animal and Hemodynamics Core provides critical infrastructure for the development and physiological characterization of experimental models of pulmonary hypertension.
This core supports the generation and maintenance of genetically engineered mouse models, experimental induction of pulmonary hypertension, and comprehensive cardiovascular phenotyping across multiple species. Investigators have access to specialized equipment and expertise for assessing pulmonary hemodynamics, cardiac function, and exercise tolerance in both small and large animal models.
Capabilities include advanced catheter-based hemodynamic measurements, echocardiography, hypoxia exposure systems, and exercise testing platforms. These approaches allow investigators to evaluate disease progression and therapeutic responses in preclinical models with high precision and reproducibility.
Learn more about the Animal and Hemodynamics Core
Histopathology Core
The CVP Histopathology Core provides comprehensive tissue processing and imaging services that support basic, translational, and clinical research projects across the cardiovascular and pulmonary research community.
The core provides expert support for tissue processing, histological analysis, and advanced imaging, ensuring that tissue specimens are prepared and analyzed with high quality and reproducibility. Services include tissue embedding, microtomy, routine and specialized staining, immunohistochemistry, tissue microarray construction, and laser capture microdissection.
Through standardized workflows and rigorous quality control, the Histopathology Core enables investigators to obtain high-resolution morphological and molecular insights from tissue samples, supporting downstream molecular analyses and spatial profiling approaches.
Learn more about the Histopathology Core
Spatial Transcriptomics and Molecular Profiling Core
The Spatial Transcriptomics and Molecular Profiling Core provides investigators with advanced technologies to map gene expression, protein localization, and cellular interactions directly within intact lung tissue.
This core integrates pulmonary pathology, spatial molecular profiling technologies, and bioinformatics analysis to identify molecular pathways driving pulmonary vascular remodeling and inflammation. These approaches allow researchers to analyze gene expression and signaling pathways within specific vascular lesions and microenvironments, preserving the spatial organization of cells within the lung.
Through spatial transcriptomics and multimodal molecular profiling, investigators can identify cellular niches and disease-specific transcriptional programs that contribute to pulmonary hypertension and other forms of pulmonary vascular disease.
Learn more about the Spatial Transcriptomics Core
A Coordinated Research Infrastructure
The strength of the CVP research cores lies in their integration across experimental systems and analytical platforms.
Studies typically begin in the Animal and Hemodynamics Core, where investigators develop and characterize experimental models of pulmonary hypertension. Tissue samples generated in these models are then analyzed through the Histopathology Core to define structural and cellular changes within the pulmonary vasculature.
Finally, the Spatial Transcriptomics Core enables high-resolution molecular mapping of these tissues, identifying gene expression patterns and signaling pathways that drive vascular remodeling and inflammation.
This coordinated workflow allows investigators to connect physiological changes in disease models with molecular mechanisms identified in tissue, creating a powerful platform for discovery and translational research.
Together, these cores provide the infrastructure necessary to advance the understanding of pulmonary vascular disease and to develop new therapeutic strategies for patients with pulmonary hypertension.