Hypertension affects millions of people in the United States and worldwide. Improved understanding of themolecular and cellular origins of hypertension will improve the efficacy of treatment and diagnosis. TheEpithelial Na+ Channel, ENaC, is the final arbiter of Na+ excretion in the kidneys. As such, discretionary controlof ENaC fine-tunes renal excretion. Appropriate renal excretion is a key factor in the normal regulation ofarterial blood pressure. Consequently, dysfunction of ENaC and its upstream modulators cause dysregulationof blood pressure due to abnormal excretion.

This proposal combines a team with expertise in aging, tumor immunology, tumor immunotherapy, specificgenetically modified animal models and early phase clinical trials with a computational team having greatexpertise in analyzing and modeling aging of the immune system.

Despite the increasing numbers of aging individuals in our country, there is little understanding of theinteraction between the mechanisms of aging and the pathophysiology of age-related diseases. Research inthis area is essential since age is the largest risk factor for various diseases. If this relationship can be resolved,it would open new avenues for therapeutic interventions to treat/prevent age-related diseases. Oxidative stressis one of the fundamental biological processes that link aging and age-related diseases.

The Integrated Graduate Program in Neuroscience at UTHSCSA provides training in a range of neuroscientific research areas and approaches, from molecular, cellular, and neurochemical to systems, behavioral and clinical neuroscience.