Under the direction of Dr. Christopher Woodman, research conducted in the Vascular Biology Laboratory (VBL) focuses on the interactive effects of aging and exercise training on skeletal muscle vascular beds. The primary goal is to understand the mechanisms by which endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells adapt to aging resulting in increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease as well as how exercise training may attenuate the detrimental effects of aging on vascular cell function. Functional studies are conducted using isolated perfused arteries to determine the cell signaling events in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells that mediate endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Biochemical and molecular techniques are used to determine mechanisms contributing to age-induced endothelial dysfunction and to determine mechanisms by which exercise training improves vascular cell function in senescent arteries.