Speaker: Andrew Baker, University of Edinburgh
Seminar Title: Targeting vascular repair and regeneration using advanced therapies
The Baker lab is interested in the mechanisms that control vascular damage and how to influence repair and regeneration of the vascular system using innovative therapies, including gene- and RNA-based approaches. Focusing on acute and chronic injury to the vessel wall, we are defining the protein-coding and non-coding RNA pathways and networks that influence cell (dys)function in health and disease. In turn, we are developing interventions to influence beneficially injury, repair and regeneration. We have focus on gene therapy, both in the translational and discovery sense. We have developed an innovative gene therapy approach to prevent pathological vascular remodelling associated with coronary artery bypass graft failure and are pursuing this at the clinical interface. We also design novel viral vectors for cardiovascular gene therapy, focusing both on capsid biology and transcriptional control. We are also generating endothelial cells and associated extracellular vesicles from human embryonic stem cells for regeneration in ischaemic conditions, and developing an understanding in mechanisms that control endothelial cell commitment and specification.
Andrew H Baker is a British Heart Foundation Chair of Translational Cardiovascular Sciences and the Gustav Born Chair of Vascular Biology at the University of Edinburgh. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of Medical Sciences, UK. He has been awarded two ERC Advanced Grants (VascmiR (2013) and PolymiRize (2024)) and has co-ordinated Marie Curie ITN and IAPP training networks in gene therapy viral technology across Europe. He has published over 300 original papers and review articles and is a member of the editorial board for several leading journals. He has been awarded over £50m in research funding in career to date and has supervised over 30 PhD students as primary supervisor. He has directed the BHF Centre for Vascular Regeneration and the University of Edinburgh Research Excellence Award 3 (2019-2024). He is currently Head of the Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Edinburgh and holds a Professorial post at Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
