2011 Wylie Scholar
- Angela Ramirez
- Oct 9
- 2 min read
Gale Tang, MD
Associate Professor, Division of Vascular Surgery
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
University of Washington
Wylie Research Focus: Understanding the mechanisms that promote blood vessel growth, and to develop new non‐surgical therapies for people suffering from an advanced form of peripheral artery disease (PAD)
Date Awarded: 2011
“I am developing stem-cell based therapies to enhance collateral artery development in patients with critical limb ischemia. The goal is to help prevent gangrene and amputation in this patient population with limited treatment options.”
The Wylie grant was awarded to support Dr. Tang’s research in understanding the mechanisms that promote blood vessel growth, and to develop new non‐surgical therapies for people suffering from an advanced form of peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Dr. Tang’s original research focused on creating new vessels to carry the blood that blocked arteries can no longer transport, evaluating the syndecan‐1 protein encoded by the SDC1 gene. Dr. Tang subsequently shifted her research to focus on the role of p27Kip1 in collateral artery development. This built on work performed by the late Dr. Alec Clowes (UW) and Dr. Michael Conte (UCSF) on the role of p27 in healing following leg bypass surgeries. Her current work continues Dr. Alec Clowes’ studies on vein graft healing.
Dr. Tang is an excellent example of the synergy of Vascular Cures’ programs made possible by generous donors. Prior to receiving the 2011 Wylie Scholar award, Dr. Tang studied mechanisms of blood vessel growth at the Laboratory for Accelerated Vascular Research (LAVR) from 2001–2003. LAVR was established at UCSF with grants from Vascular Cures and the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation. She also worked under the mentorship of the late Alec Clowes, MD, a leader of the Vascular Cures Research Network. Dr. Tang was just awarded a VA Merit grant to study the effect of adventitial cells on vein graft neointimal hyperplasia.
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