Faculty and Research
Research on Venous Disease
In recent years, research into venous disease has lagged far behind that for arterial disease. Still, venous disease is a serious threat to life and health through conditions such as pulmonary embolisms and leg ulcers. The Division of Vascular Surgery is moving this field forward through an approach that combines both clinical and basic science.
The laboratory of David Gillespie, MD is looking into many aspects of venous disease:
- His basic science research has two major projects. The first looks at how tissue fibrosis occurs in patients with venous disease. Through a better understanding of the pathways by which fibrosis is formed, his lab hopes to find better ways to block its formation and prevent venous ulceration. Dr. Gillespie is one of very few scientists who has developed an in vitro model to study chronic venous disease. This work has earned his lab the prestigious BSN-Jobst Research Grant in venous and lymphatic disease.
- The second focus of his lab is investigating the impact of Monocyte Derived Tissue Factor on the development of venous thrombosis after surgery/trauma. Performed in collaboration with Drs. Cullen and Miller-Graziano, this promising work is on the cutting edge of increasing patient safety. Both projects are in the process of acquiring funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Dr. Gillespie is the Principal Investigator of a prospective multicenter trial called RECON investigating quality of life improvements after laser vs. radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of varicose veins. He is also the site PI for the multicenter NIH-sponsored ATTRACT trial, investigating quality of life improvements using thrombolysis in the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
