Dr. Whisler studies how blood vessels grow, change shape, and function within the body. His research is particularly important for conditions related to blood vessels, like vascular diseases and cancer. He also investigates how to create artificial blood vessel networks in the lab, which can be used for developing therapies and studying diseases. Additionally, his work involves safely studying malaria infections to enhance vaccine development, aiming to eradicate this serious illness.
Key findings
Constant blood-like flow improves tiny blood vessel networks in lab models, maintaining their function for at least 51 days and reducing inflammation compared to stagnant flow.
In mouse embryos, the absence of the YAP1 protein resulted in weak and faulty blood vessels, highlighting the importance of tissue stiffness in blood vessel development.
The movement speed of cell extensions called filopodia within a 3D protein network matched lab experiments with a consistency score over 0.95, aiding our understanding of how cells invade tissues, which is vital for cancer treatment.
Safe malaria infections were successfully induced in healthy volunteers, with all developing symptoms in an average of 11.2 days, confirming the method's safety and usefulness in testing malaria vaccines.
Researchers created 3D capillary beds in the lab, reaching sizes of about 1.5 mm, which are crucial for tissue regeneration and could help in organ repair.
Frequently asked questions
Does Dr. Whisler study blood vessel diseases?
Yes, he focuses on how blood vessels grow and function, which is key to improving treatments for vascular diseases.
What is unique about Dr. Whisler's research?
He creates lab models of blood vessel networks and studies how they can improve drug testing and disease modeling.
Has Dr. Whisler researched malaria?
Yes, he has studied methods to safely induce malaria in healthy volunteers to enhance vaccine development.
How does Dr. Whisler's work help cancer patients?
His research on cell movement within tissues can lead to better treatments by understanding how cancer cells invade healthy tissues.
Can Dr. Whisler's findings improve organ repair techniques?
Yes, his work on 3D capillary networks is crucial for developing better healing methods for damaged organs.
Publications in plain English
Long-term physiological flow rescues regressed microvascular networks and increases their longevity.
2025
npj biological physics and mechanics
Floryan M, Cambria E, Blazeski A, Coughlin MF, Wan Z +6 more
Plain English This study looked at how constant blood-like flow can help tiny blood vessel networks in lab models recover and stay healthy over time. Researchers found that with continuous flow, these networks stayed functional for at least 51 days, improved their structure, and reduced inflammation compared to stagnant conditions. This is important because it helps make lab models more realistic for studying diseases and testing drugs, which can lead to better treatments.
Who this helps: This helps researchers and doctors working on disease modeling and drug testing.
Emergent mechanical control of vascular morphogenesis.
2023
Science advances
Whisler J, Shahreza S, Schlegelmilch K, Ege N, Javanmardi Y +24 more
Plain English This study looked at how the tissues that make up blood vessels grow and change shape. Researchers found that as blood vessels develop, the stiffness of the tissue increases, which helps blood vessels function better; for example, when they looked at mouse embryos without a specific protein called YAP1 in certain cells, these embryos ended up with weak and faulty blood vessels. This research is important because understanding how tissues and cells interact can lead to better treatments for vascular diseases and improve healing after injuries.
Who this helps: This helps patients needing better treatments for blood vessel-related health issues.
Cell Invasion Dynamics into a Three Dimensional Extracellular Matrix Fibre Network.
2015
PLoS computational biology
Kim MC, Whisler J, Silberberg YR, Kamm RD, Asada HH
Plain English This research studied how tiny finger-like extensions called filopodia help cells move within a 3D network made of proteins outside cells, known as the extracellular matrix (ECM). The researchers created a detailed computer model to simulate how these filopodia penetrate the ECM, showing that their movement speed matched lab experiments with human cells nearly perfectly (with a consistency score of over 0.95). Understanding this process is important because it can shed light on how cells invade tissues, which is crucial for developing treatments for diseases like cancer.
Who this helps: This helps patients, especially those affected by cancer and other diseases involving cell movement.
Safety and comparability of controlled human Plasmodium falciparum infection by mosquito bite in malaria-naïve subjects at a new facility for sporozoite challenge.
2014
PloS one
Talley AK, Healy SA, Finney OC, Murphy SC, Kublin J +10 more
Plain English Researchers studied a method to safely induce malaria in healthy individuals to better understand how vaccines and treatments can be developed. They successfully infected six volunteers with malaria-causing parasites from mosquito bites and found that all developed malaria symptoms within an average of 11.2 days. The safety of this method was confirmed, as there were no serious side effects, making it a valuable tool for testing new malaria vaccines and drugs.
Who this helps: This helps researchers and vaccine developers working on malaria treatments and vaccines.
Plain English This study looked at creating three-dimensional networks of tiny blood vessels (called capillary beds) in a lab setting to help with tissue regeneration. Researchers built these capillaries using a gel that supports cells and found they could create networks about 1.5 mm in size that allowed small particles to flow through them. This work is important because it could lead to better ways to build blood supplies for organs, which is crucial for repairing damaged tissues.
Who this helps: This helps patients needing organ repair and doctors developing new healing techniques.