2006 Wylie Scholar

Dr. Choi investigated ways to grow new blood vessels as a therapy for treating critical limb ischemia (CLI), in which legs and feet do not receive blood because of severe blockage in the arteries and amputation can result.

Dr. Choi’s research involved vein and artery complications in patients undergoing dialysis due to kidney failure. Dialysis requires a surgically‐created artery‐to‐vein direct connection in the patient’s arm or leg. This artificial circuit often fails due to abnormal scarring and thickening of the lining of the vein that receives the blood from the artery, and must be surgically repaired. Dr. Choi researched the cellular and molecular mechanism that causes this abnormality, a significant step in developing new treatments to prevent this vascular problem.

Experts are becoming increasingly concerned about the growing number of people in their 20s and 30s coping with Type 2 diabetes. The longer people live with diabetes, the more likely they are to develop complications such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney failure, blindness and lack of blood flow to the legs that can lead to amputation.

“It’s alarming how many young adults are on the verge of amputation,” stated Dr. Choi. “About 20% of the amputations that we did last year were in patients 45 or under.” Dr. Choi does everything in his power to save a limb.”