History
The University of Arizona has been an important center for research into microcirculation since 1967, when Paul C. Johnson came here as founding Head of the Department of Physiology. Theoretical approaches have been emphasized since the arrival in 1972 of Joseph F. Gross as Professor of Chemical Engineering. In 1979, Drs. Johnson and Gross received approval from the State legislature to create a faculty position for the interdisciplinary area of theoretical microcirculation, leading to the appointment of Timothy W. Secomb in 1981 as a member of the Arizona Research Laboratories, with joint appointments in Physiology and Mathematics. The reorganization of the Arizona Research Laboratories in 1983 led to the creation of the Microcirculation Division, directed by Dr. Gross. In 1989, the Division moved into a University-owned house at 1326 E. Mabel Street, strategically located between the Arizona Health Sciences Center and the main campus of the University. Dr. Secomb succeeded Dr. Gross as Director on July 1, 1997. In February 2008, the Division relocated to a house at 1527 E. Mabel Street.
In 2019, Dr. Secomb's faculty line was transferred to the BIO5 Institute, and the Microcirculation Division was absorbed into BIO5.
Mission
The mission of the Microcirculation Division is to provide interdisciplinary research and educational programs, in which engineering and mathematical approaches are applied in physiology and other health sciences. The focus of research is on physiological transport, especially in the microcirculation, in normal and pathological conditions. Teaching activities include offering undergraduate and graduate courses and training graduate and postdoctoral students in the areas described above. This unique interdisciplinary focus of the Microcirculation Division builds on and enhances major strengths of the University of Arizona in related areas of physical sciences and health sciences.
Current personnel
Timothy W. Secomb, Ph.D., Professor and Director
Jonathan Alberding, Ph.D., Research Associate
Ardith El-Kareh, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor
Jeffrey Lee, Graduate Student in Applied Mathematics
Sara Djurich, Graduate Student in Physiological Sciences
Madison Delmoe, Undergraduate StudentVivian Nguyen, Undergraduate Student
Current research projects and collaborations
Angiogenesis and structural adaptation
Axel Pries (Berlin)
Jon Alberding (UA)
Karen Hirschi/Jennifer Fang (Yale)
Tracy Stepien (Florida)
Blood flow and oxygen transport
Tuhin Roy (Mayo Clinic, Minnesota)
Blood flow and oxygen transport in brain tissue
David Boas/Sava Sakadzic (Mass. General Hospital/Harvard Medical School/Boston University)
Jeffrey Lee (UA)
Jose Celaya-Alcala (Brown)
Mechanics of the left ventricle
Michael Moulton (Nebraska)
Cancer pharmacodynamics, radiation and immune effects
Ardith El-Kareh (UA)
Mass transport to tumors
Mark Dewhirst (Duke)
Kevin Hicks (Auckland)
Jackson Burton (C-Path)
Epithelial cell transport
Steve Wright (UA)
Current funding sources
National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
Updated 8 January, 2021