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Sleep and Cardio Metabolic Health Lab

Faculty

Prachi Singh, PhD

Laboratory Members

Isabella Griffith
Research Associate

Paul Peyrel
Research Associate

Research Focus

Sleep, a biological necessity, is increasingly recognized to be an important determinant of cardiovascular health. Poor sleep including insufficient sleep duration and sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea are common among adult U.S. population and have been linked to obesity, morbidity, and early death. Yet, how sleep alters cardiometabolic risk factors is not completely understood. The primary focus of the Sleep and Cardio Metabolic Health lab is to mechanistically examine the role of sleep and sleep disorders in the development of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The overall goal is to identify and develop novel therapeutic strategies to prevent cardiovascular diseases across adult lifespan.

About this Lab

The hypothesis of the lab-driven translational research program utilizes unique in-vitro models and tissue samples from well characterized, comprehensive, cross-sectional, and longitudinal human studies to examine pathophysiological pathways that may contribute to increased adiposity, insulin resistance, and hypertension. The lab's research involves conducting clinical trials including participants with high cardiovascular risk such as individuals with habitual short sleep, insomnia, or sleep apnea. For increased mechanistic understanding, interventional studies also include those involving overfeeding and restricting sleep duration.

The basic setup for the lab is conducive for comprehensive cellular and molecular analysis of the biospecimen obtained from our study participants including adipose tissue and skeletal muscle biopsies. The analysis of study biospecimen is frequently complemented by in-vitro studies using primary cell culture to examine functional implications and tissue health. Lab members are committed to the inclusion of individuals with a wide array of educational and cultural backgrounds. The lab encourages collaborations and provides strong motivation and mentoring for next-generation researchers.