The Oliveira Lab

Research Overview

In the Oliveira Lab we are dedicated to understanding the brain’s pathogenic contribution to cardiopulmonary diseases, with a particular emphasis on pulmonary hypertension (PH). Our research aims to identify innovative therapeutic targets that could transform the treatment landscape for this debilitating condition.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease that affects the lung vasculature leading to right heart failure and an unacceptably high mortality rate. Despite major milestones in our understanding of predisposing factors to PH, to date, we still have limited mechanistic insight into its development and progression. Thus, despite advances in current therapies, there is no available cure and treatment has limited improvement in outcome. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches.

Our research has highlighted a critical role for activated microglia in neuroinflammation within key autonomic brain regions, especially the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Our findings led us to hypothesize that activation of resident microglia and infiltrated myeloid precursors, promotes aberrant preautonomic neuronal signaling in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus contributing to sustained sympathetic activation, which is critical to PH.

To address these vital questions, we employ cutting-edge neuroscience techniques alongside established pulmonary hemodynamic and histological analyses. Our methodology includes live cell imaging in brain slices, right heart catheterization, and immunohistochemistry, complemented by validation studies in human tissues and cells.

Through this interdisciplinary approach, we aim to illuminate the brain’s pathogenic contributions to pulmonary hypertension and pave the way for groundbreaking therapeutic strategies that could improve patient outcomes.