2021 Wylie Scholar
Kevin W. Southerland, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Division of Vascular & Endovascular Surgery
Duke University
“The goal of my work in the lab is to lay the foundation for the development of new therapies that can save the limbs of patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI).”
Dr. Kevin Southerland received the 2021 Wylie Scholar Award for his project “Transcriptional Dynamics and Heterogeneity of Macrophages in Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia”.
Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is the most severe manifestation of peripheral arterial disease. Patients with CLTI are at high risk for limb loss and death. A significant number of CLTI patients suffer limb loss despite successful restoration of arterial flow. Novel approaches to treat CLTI remain an unmet clinical need. The goal of Dr. Southerland’s lab is to understand the communication signals between the various cell types in the ischemic limb. He is particularly interested in how macrophages (a type of immune cell) interact with muscle stem cells. He believes that understanding these mechanisms will be the groundwork for the development of new therapies for CLTI patients.
“The Wylie Scholar Award is a tremendous honor. I am humbled to be part of such an amazing community of surgeon-scientists. My primary clinical and investigative interest is Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia (CLTI). The goal of my lab is to understand the cellular mechanisms responsible for CLTI and to develop molecular therapeutics to improve limb salvage. The Wylie Scholar program is providing me with the resources to pursue this research program. I am truly grateful for this opportunity.”
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