Science & Discovery

The Valdez Lab focuses on understanding the pathology and physiology of vascular diseases present in the eye using mouse models. Dr. Valdez is interested in investigating endothelial cell (EC)-pericyte interactions in the microvasculature (arterioles, capillaries, and venules) of the retina in animal models of disease. Her research primarily focuses on capillaries, which are formed by two cell types: EC's create the inner layer and pericytes form the outer layer. Her previous work was centered on understanding the role of pericyte loss in diabetic retinopathy, the eye disease in diabetes. Through this research, Dr. Valdez was able to experimentally show for the first time that conditional loss of pericytes in adult mice caused microvascular destabilization - acellular capillaries, microaneurysms, and leakage - which has implications for diabetic retinopathy. Additionally, she created automated methods for quantifying EC's, pericytes, and acellular capillaries in the microvasculature of mice.
The Valdez Lab is currently investigating cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), the leading cause of stroke and cognitive impairment and a common neurological disorder in the elderly. Along with her collaborators at Harvard Medical School/Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr. Valdez is studying the EC-pericyte interactions in models of CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy), the most common monogenic cause of SVD.
Publications
From Pathobiology to the Targeting of Pericytes for the Treatment of
Diabetic Retinopathy
Joseph Arboleda-Velasquez, Cammi Valdez,
Christina Marko, Patricia D’Amore
Current Diabetes Report
2015 February: 15 (2)
Retinal Microangiopathy in a Mouse
Model of Inducible Mural Cell Loss
Cammi Valdez, Joseph Arboleda-Velasquez,
Dhanesh Amarnani, Leo Kim, Patricia D’Amore
American Journal of Pathology
2014 October: 184 (10)
Crystal structure of dichlorido-(4,11-dimethyl-1,4,8,11- tetraazabicyclo-[6.6.2]hexa-deca-ne)iron(III) hexa-fluoride-phosphate
Neil Funwie, Amy Cain, Serena Hageman, Mallory Mullens,
Travis Roberts, Daniel Turner, Cammi Valdez et al.
Acta Crystallographer Communications
2015 August: 71 (9)
Heme Regulates Exocrine Peptidase Precursor Genes in Zebrafish
Han Wang, Qingchun Zhou, Jason Kesinger,
Chad Norris, Cammi Valdez
Experimental Biology and Medicine
2007 October: 232 (9)
