Our laboratory focuses on vascular smooth muscle pharmacology, physiology and function. Our reasons for focusing on the vasculature are many, but include the important fact that the vasculature is involved in numerous cardiovascular diseases. For example, hypertension affects approximately 20-30% of the world's population, and hypertension continues to be a killer because it places individuals at a higher risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. Obesity is comorbid (comes together with) hypertension, and is a vexing problem for the world.