Wagner and colleagues also are researching the importance of adhesion molecules in inflammatory processes such as atherosclerosis, the narrowing of arteries. They have observed that leukocytes recruited to the liver help to regulate fat metabolism and help to prevent obesity. The lab began to visualize blood vessels in the brain and study mechanisms involved in the formation of the blood brain barrier, which prevents uncontrolled leakage of molecules from the blood into the central nervous system. They ask, do malfunctions of brain microcirculation contribute to the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's? Using animal models, they are testing new ways to modulate blood brain barrier permeability and to evaluate inhibitors of adhesion molecules as possible agents to prevent heart disease and/or thrombosis.