Rose Du, MD, PhD

Genetics of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases

The Du laboratory investigates the role of genetics in stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases. Stroke is the third leading cause of mortality and the leading cause of severe disability worldwide. It is a complex disease that results from many different pathologic conditions including atherosclerosis and hypertension and is therefore affected by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Understanding the genetic basis of stroke will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind its pathogenesis. State-of-the-art techniques in bioinformatics, genetics and genomics are utilized to achieve an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to this complex problem and elucidate the network of genes that control stroke susceptibility.