Peripheral vascular disease is a common outcome for individuals who are chronically exposed to arsenic through their drinking water. Frequently, years of arsenic exposure results in tissue ischemia which requires amputation of the hand or foot. Thus, chronic arsenic exposure can be debilitating. Our goal is to understand the mechanism by which arsenic produces these effects.

My laboratory is investigating the mechanism by which arsenic affects the activity of protein kinases in vascular smooth muscle cells. We have identified a signal transduction pathway consisting of tyrosine kinases, serine/threonine kinases, a tyrosine phosphatase, and a calcium binding protein that appears to be regulated by arsenic. Studies are ongoing to characterize the molecular events that occur in this pathway with the ultimate goal of finding ways to minimize arsenic toxicity for individuals who have no choice but to drink arsenic-contaminated water.