Dr. Spin is pursuing fundamental issues relating to smooth muscle cell (SMC) biology. SMCs play crucial roles in vascular development, homeostasis, and disease. He has examined gene expression within the vascular wall, identifying patterns and pathways that characterized atherogenesis. He has also studied the biology of differentiation and phenotypic switching in vascular SMCs, first identifying differentially regulated genes associated with SMC lineage determination, and then focusing on the epigenetic regulation of SMC differentiation state. Most recently he has examined the role of microRNAs in the regulation of SMC phenotype, and studied the biology of aortic aneurysm development in mouse models.
