Pearl Quijada, PhD

Regulation of Vascular Function by Cardiac Mesenchymal Cells

My research group focuses on cell-cell interactions in the developing coronary
vasculature to enhance angiogenesis and reduce cardiac fibrosis after ischemic heart
damage. We investigate epicardium-derived progenitor cells during the epicardial-to-
mesenchymal transition and their effects on fibrosis, as well as the role of cardiac
pericytes in maintaining vascular integrity and reducing adverse remodeling. Our
projects employ advanced techniques, including cell-lineage tracking, conditional
genetic knockout models, single-cell transcriptomics, and viral delivery methods.

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Assistant Professor, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University
of California, Los Angeles