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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.

Du R, Tantisira K, Carey V, Bhattacharya S, Metje S, Klanderman BJ, Gaedigk R, Lazarus R, Mariani TJ, Leeder JS, and Weiss ST. Platform dependence of inference on gene-wise and gene-set involvement in human lung development, BMC Bioinformatics, 10:189, 2009.

Du R*, Lu K*, Petritsch C, Liu P, Ganss R, Passague E, Song H, Vandenberg S, Johnson RS, Werb Z, and Bergers G. HIF1a induces the recruitment of bone marrow-derived vascular modulatory cells to regulate tumor angiogenesis and invasion. Cancer Cell, 13:206-220, 2008. (*these authors contributed equally)

Du R, Petritsch C, Lu K, Liu P, Haller A, Ganss R, Song H, Vandenberg S, and Bergers G. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 regulates vascular patterning and growth affecting tumor cell survival and invasion in GBM. Neuro Oncol, 10:254-264, 2008.

Day AL, Du R and Maher, CO: Ophthalmic Segment Aneurysms, in Macdonald RL (Ed.): Neurosurgical Operative Atlas 2E: Vascular Neurosurgery. New York: Thieme, 2008.

Du R, Keyoung HM, Dowd CF, Young WL, and Lawton MT. The effects of diffuseness and deep perforating arterial supply on outcomes after microsurgical resection of brain arteriovenous malformations. Neurosurgery, 60: 638-646, 2007.

Zhu Y, Lawton MT, Du R, Shwe Y, Chen Y, Shen F, Young WL, and Yang GY. Expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor in response to venous hypertension, Neurosurgery, 59: 687-696, 2006.

Du R, McDermott MW, Dowd CF, Young WL, and Lawton MT. Neurosurgery at the crossroads: Integrated multidisciplinary management of 449 patients with brain arteriovenous malformations. Clin Neurosurg, 52:177-191, 2005.

Du R, Dowd CF, Johnston SC, Young WL, and Lawton MT. Interobserver variability in grading of brain arteriovenous malformations using the Spetzler-Martin system. Neurosurgery, 57:668-674, 2005.

Lawton MT and Du R. Effect of the neurosurgeons surgical experience on outcomes from intraoperative aneurysmal rupture. Neurosurgery, 57:9-15, 2005.

Du R, McDermott MW, Gupta N: Craniopharyngiomas, in Berger MS and Prados MD (Eds.): Textbook of Neuro-Oncology. Philadelphia: Elsevier Science, 2004.