Dr Faraci's research deals with vascular biology with an emphasis on the biology of the cerebral circulation. A major focus of this work is the study of endothelium, cells that form the inner lining of blood vessels, and the role of these cells in determining vascular structure and function. His work has two major goals. The first is to better understand how blood vessels function normally. The second goal is to define mechanisms that produce vascular dysfunction in the presence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease including hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, and aging. Physiological, pharmacological and molecular approaches are used to provide greater insight into mechanisms believed to contribute to vascular disease and stroke. The research relies heavily on the use of genetically altered mice and viral mediated gene transfer. Dr Faraci is the lead investigator on the Cerebral Vascular Biology Program at the University of Iowa.