The Microhemodynamics Laboratory in the Department of Bioengineering at UCSD is led by Professor Marcos Intaglietta. The main research objective is to understand how underlying mechanistic and functional changes of the microcirculation during normal and pathological states can ultimately predict tissue viability.

The maintenance of homeostasis in an organism can be traced to the events at the level of microscopic blood vessels, the site of vital transport and gas exchange. This network of microvessels ranging in diameter from 5 to 150 µm exist in every tissue and organ of the body.

The development of non-invasive instrumentation to investigate the microcirculation in vivo remains one of the cornerstones of this laboratory. Much of the instrumentation and related analysis methods being used were developed in this laboratory and have found acceptance in laboratories throughout the world.

The research is hypothesis driven and results have clinical applications to the development of therapeutic agents and techniques. The laboratory enjoys valuable and close collaboration with eminent international laboratories.