Gonzales Lab

Mission

Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of blood flow entering the capillary microcirculation.

Key areas of focus

  • Defining the role of contractile pericytes in the dynamic distribution of red blood cells within capillary networks of the brain.
  • Examining the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating blood flow.
  • Examining the effects of amyloid-β on pericyte calcium dynamics, pericyte function and capillary blood flow.
  • Investing intra- and intercellular propagation of electrical and chemical signals.

Lab team

Albert L. Gonzales, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology. The Gonzales Lab seeks to understand the active role that capillary networks play in sensing and responding to the metabolic needs of the tissue, the mechanisms ensuring the point-to-point delivery of oxygen and nutrients and the removal of metabolic waste. Dr. Gonzales' laboratory employs a broad range of modern experimental approaches and techniques, including ex vivo pressurized vasculature tissue preparations, high-speed high-resolution Ca2+ imaging and patch clamp electrophysiology.

  • Albert L. Gonzales, Ph.D.: Principal Investigator
  • Vidya Murthy: Postdoctoral Scholar
  • Alex Aupetit: Postdoctoral Scholar
  • Patrick Voss: Technician

Notable research findings

  • Demonstrated that light exposure modulates calcium signaling in the mammalian choroid, suggesting a direct photoreceptive role for this ocular tissue.
  • Developed an ex vivo ocular perfusion model for mouse eyes, enabling detailed study of ocular vascular physiology and providing insights into the mechanisms controlling ocular circulation.
  • Established that contractile pericytes at capillary junctions actively regulate blood flow direction within the microcirculation, ensuring efficient and targeted perfusion of brain tissue.

Equipment, technology and techniques

  • Ex vivo pressurized vasculature preparations
  • High-speed, high-resolution fluorescent imaging with optogenetic stimulation
  • Computation modeling of capillary pericytes
  • Biochemical and molecular approaches

Active grants and research projects

  1. Light-dependent Constriction of Choroid Vasculature.
    • Award: New Investigator Grant Program in Macular Degeneration Research
    • Funding organization: BrightFocus Foundation
  2. Amyloid-β Disruption of Pericyte Control of Capillary Hemodynamics.
    • Award: Mechanisms of Brain Hypoperfusion in AD/ADRD (R01)
    • Funding organization: National Institute of Health (NIH)
  3. Cancer Hijacking of the Microcirculation.
    • Award: Discovery Boost Grant
    • Funding organization: American Cancer Society