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Dr. Lisa Wilsbacher specializes in general cardiology, including acute-care cardiology, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. Her research focuses on molecular mechanisms that regulate blood vessel permeability/leakiness in the setting of inflammation and how this leakiness disrupts function in the heart and lungs over time.
Dr. Wilsbacher’s research investigates the regulation of endothelial permeability by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Endothelium controls solute and fluid exchange between the plasma and tissue compartments through active regulation of permeability. A diverse range of acute and chronic human inflammatory diseases involve abnormal endothelial permeability, including asthma, acute lung injury, atherosclerosis, and sepsis. Molecular mechanisms of barrier disruption are relatively well known, but those driving recovery and maintenance of vascular integrity are less well understood. Her goal is to delineate the signaling mechanisms that regulate vascular barrier integrity and permeability, especially in the setting of acute and chronic inflammation, which will lead to improvements in the treatment and prevention of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases.