Professor, Director
Miguel A Perez-Pinzon, PhD,
Professor, Co-Director

Research Faculty

  • Bowan Lin, MD, Ph.D
  • Kunjan Dave, Ph.D
  • Tony (Richard Anthony) DeFazio, Ph.D
  • Myron Ginsberg, MD, Ph.D
  • Ami Raval, Ph.D
  • Eugene Roberts, Ph.D 
  • Thomas Sick, Ph.D
  • Brant Watson, Ph.D

Fellows

  • David Della Morte, MD
  • Lin WH, Ph.D

Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Center

Brief History

The Research Center for Cerebral Vascular Disease at the University of Miami was established approximately 39 years ago by Dr. Peritz Scheinberg, the founding Chairman of the Department of Neurology.  Initially, its research focused on measurements of human cerebral blood flow in health and disease, and the development of appropriate measurement strategies, under the direction of Drs. Scheinberg and O.M. Reinmuth.  Subsequent developments led to studies of cerebral circulatory control mechanisms in large animals.  With the addition of Professor Kyuya Kogure to the laboratory approximately 35 years ago, studies were begun of cerebral energy and acid-base metabolism in the rat.  In the mid-1960’s, Raul Busto, in conjunction with Dr. Urban Ponten, established the Center’s small-animal metabolite-analysis facility.  In ensuing years, numerous scientists joined the Department of Neurology and the Center laboratory to pursue studies of cerebral ischemia and brain metabolism. 

Dr. Myron D. Ginsberg became the Principal Investigator of the Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Center in 1981. Over the ensuing 24 years, the Department of Neurology has recruited skilled and productive investigators to faculty positions with the goal of fostering the strength of the Center.  These include W. Dalton Dietrich, Ph.D., Brant D. Watson, Ph.D., Mordecai Y.-T. Globus, M.D., Thomas J. Sick, Ph.D., Weizhao Zhao, Ph.D., Ludmila Belayev, M.D., Miguel A. Perez-Pinzon, Ph.D., Rainald Schmidt-Kastner, M.D., and Bingren Hu, M.D., Ph.D., Ricardo Prado, M.D. and Baowan Lin, M.D.   

 In 2005, Dr. Miguel A. Perez-Pinzon became director of the CVDRC.  Dr. Perez-Pinzon, Professor and Associate Chair of Basic Sciences in the Department of Neurology, strongly complements the Center’s interests with his expertise in ischemic preconditioning, cardiac arrest, mitochondrial pathophysiology, and the organotypic slice culture preparation.  His strong leadership qualities and collaborative interests have been crucial ingredients in the Center’s recent accomplishments.  

About Us

The objective of the Cerebral Vascular Disease Research Center is to conduct coordinated investigations into the pathophysiology, treatment and prevention of cerebral ischemic injury.  Our approach rests upon several assumptions: 1) that an understanding of the mechanisms of brain injury necessitates familiarity with the normal physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology of the central nervous system; 2) efforts to improve the prophylaxis and therapy of stroke should be based upon knowledge of disease mechanisms, and this is best acquired through studies in physiologically controlled experimental animal models.  Finally, 3) the probability of success in this complex problem-area is enhanced by bringing a variety of complementary multidisciplinary investigative strategies to bear on the problems under study. Click Researcher below to go to their Lab focus.

Faculty Services

  • Models of cerebral ischemia
  • Two-photon microscopy core
  • Electron microscope facility
  • In vitro models core
  • Electrophysiology facility
  • Histology and immunohistology facility
  • Molecular biology facility
  • Mitochondrial physiology facility
 

Links and Publications

  • Click here Ischemic preconditioning targets the respiration of synaptic mitochondria via protein kinase Cepsilon.J Neurosci. 2008 Apr 16;28(16):4172-82. Dave KR, DeFazio RA, Raval AP, Torraco A, Saul I, Barrientos A, Perez-Pinzon MA.
  • Click here Preconditioning mediated by sublethal oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression via the signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 phosphorylation. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2008 Apr 9Kim EJ, Raval AP, Perez-Pinzon MA.
  • Click here Ischemic preconditioning via epsilon protein kinase C activation requires cyclooxygenase-2 activation in vitro. Neuroscience. 2007 Mar 30;145(3):931-41.Kim E, Raval AP, Defazio RA, Perez-Pinzon MA.
  • Click here Albumin Therapy Augments the Effect of Thrombolysis on Local Vascular Dynamics in a Rat Model of Arteriolar Thrombosis. A Two-Photon Laser-Scanning Microscopy Study. Stroke. 2008 Mar 6 Park HP, Nimmagadda A, Defazio RA, Busto R, Prado R, Ginsberg MD.
  • Click here Resveratrol mimics ischemic preconditioning in the brain. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2006 Sep;26(9):1141-7 Raval AP, Dave KR, Pérez-Pinzón MA.
  • Click here Ischemic preconditioning preserves mitochondrial function after global cerebral ischemia in rat hippocampus. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2001 Dec;21(12):1401-10. Dave KR, Saul I, Busto R, Ginsberg MD, Sick TJ, Pérez-Pinzón MA.
 
   
     
Funded Projects
Funding Source Project Description Investigator Project Dates
* (National Scientist Development Grant)        
NIH-NINDS

Mitochondria and Cerebral ischemia: intracellular signaling.
The major goal of this project is to study the mechanism by which ePKC protects
neuronal mitochondria whereas dPKC promotes cell death after cerebral ischemia.

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I. 7/6/06- 5/31/10
NIH-NINDS

Ischemic Preconditioning: Mechanisms of Neuroprotection
The major goal of this project is to study the mechanisms by which ischemic preconditioning
promotes synaptic protection.

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I. 5/1/97- 4/30/07
NIH-NINDS

Mechanisms of Neuroprotection against Cardiac Arrest
The major goal of this project is to study the mechanisms of synaptic dysfunction and
putative neuroprotective agents following cardiac arrest.

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I.

6/1/04- 5/30/08
*AHA

Mechanisms of aggravated cerebral ischemic damage in diabetes
The current objective is to evaluate the effect of Chronic Intermittent Mild Hypoglycemia (CIMH) on outcome following cerebral ischemic damage in diabetes.

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I. 07/01/07-06/30/11
Stanley J. Glaser foundation

Mechanisms of aggravated cerebral ischemic damage in diabetes
The major goal of this project is to establish models to study the effect of diabetes on cerebral ischemic damage.

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I. 06/01/07-05/31/08
*AHA

Estrous cyclicity and mechanism of neuroprotection after cerebral ischemia
The major goal of this project is to study the effects of endogenous estrogen fluctuations on neuroprotection against cerebral ischemia in normal cyclic rats.

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I. 1/1/07- 12/31/10
Florida Department of Heath

Inhibitory effects of nicotine on estrogen-induced natural hippocampal neuroprotection against ischemia.
The major goal of this project is to study the effects of chronic nicotine usage and oral contraceptives on cerebral ischemic outcomes.

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I.

7/1/07-6/30/10
NSF

Luminescent Switches for Fluorescence Nanoscopy
Goals:  We have created novel fluorophores that can be turned off with ultraviolet light.   Using a scanning UV laser ring beam tightly focused to a sub-diffraction limited center hole, we can image structures on the scale of 10-50 nm.  This proposal funds the development of these fluorophores for immunohistochemistry, construction of a scanning laser microscope, and practical application of this technology to identify mitochondrial targets of ePKC.

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I. 2/1/08-1/31/11
*AHA

Postdoctoral Fellowship Potential mechanism by which resveratrol mimics cerebral ischemic preconditioning

 Dr. Pérez-Pinzón MA, P.I. 07/01/07-06/30/11