Cameron McCarthy, Ph.D., FAHA
Principal Investigator
Throughout my career, attenuation of cardiovascular diseases has been a consistent theme. Initially, this purpose was fulfilled through degrees in physical education and exercise science; however, since 2011 I have pursued my career in the biomedical sciences, with particular emphasis on integrative cardiovascular physiology and vascular biology. The Vascular and Integrative Physiology (VIP) Lab at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine is a continuation of these themes and through our research we strive to combat the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In my personal time I enjoy exploring parks with my family (Camilla, Emma, and Noah), trail running, and following the English Premier League and West Ham United Football Club.
Recent Highlights
Grant Funding
Featured by the North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO) as “Lab of the Month” in September 2023
American Physiological Society (APS) Shih-Chun Wang Young Investigator Award, 2023
American Journal of Hypertension John Laragh Research Award, 2021
APS Cardiovascular Section Clinical Science Young Investigator Award Sponsored by Portland Press, 2021
Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) Council on Hypertension, 2020
Current
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award (R00HL151889): Autophagy regulates β-hydroxybutyrate synthesis to prevent hypertension-associated premature vascular aging.
NIH Center for Targeted Therapeutics (P20GM109091). Pilot Project: O-GlcNAcylation exacerbates aortic stiffness in aging.
University of South Carolina Office of Research ASPIRE Award (180950-23-64136). Autophagy-dependent lipids in vascular physiology.
Completed
NIH Center for Dietary Supplements and Inflammation (1P20GM103641). Pilot Project: Ketone monoester supplementation is a novel anti-hypertensive therapy.
AHA Post-Doctoral Fellowship (18POST34060003). Decreased autophagy leads to proteotoxicity and senescence in hypertension-associated premature vascular aging.
AHA Pre-Doctoral Fellowship (13PRE14080019). Toll-like receptor 9 activation increases vascular inflammation and contractility in aortic stiffening.
Meet Our Team
Lab Manager
Lawren Tucker is our Lab Manager who graduated from Francis Marion University with a B.S. in Biology with a minor collateral in Chemistry and Psychology. She is currently attending Walden University online as a Master of Public Health candidate. Before joining our lab, she worked as a former Laboratory Specialist for the University of South Carolina, College of Pharmacy, where she orchestrated and assisted with COVID-19 testing operations for all faculty, staff, and students at the university, as well as affiliates and members of the community. She currently serves in the US Air Force Reserves as a Technical Sergeant, having 10+ years of professional experience in the pharmacy setting to encompass inpatient, outpatient, retail, and military. She is highly enthused about her future career goals in research and public health studies.
Lawren Tucker
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Tiago J. Costa is a Biologist and received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. As a Ph.D. candidate, he studied at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute in Spain. Dr. Costa’s career has been dedicated to understating the mechanism underpinning the protective effect of estrogen in the cardiovascular system. Dr. Costa completed a postdoc at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that studied the impact of estrogen on O-GlcNacylation signaling. Currently, Dr. Costa is an American Heart Postdoctoral Fellow (AHA) mentored by Dr. Cameron G. McCarthy at the Cardiovascular Translational Research Center (CTRC), UofSC School of Medicine, with a project that seeks to understand how O-GlcNacylation impacts the mechanisms involved in aging and aorta stiffness
Tiago da Costa, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Ricardo holds a degree in Biomedical Sciences and has directed his career towards scientific research. He earned a Ph.D. in Sciences (Human Physiology) from the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, and worked as an Assistant Microscopy Technician at the Research Support Facilities Center at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (CEFAP - ICB/USP). He has experience in cardiovascular physiology and confocal microscopy, with a focus on the vascular system, primarily investigating the role of perivascular innervation in controlling vascular tone in arterial hypertension.
Ricardo Bernardino de Paula, PhD
Undergraduate
Sean is an undergraduate student pursuing the accelerated undergraduate to M.D program offered by the South Carolina Honors College here at the University of South Carolina. Sean joined the McCarthy lab in September 2023 and began working with Dr. Ricardo de Paula to establish a vasculature prep protocol that will allow for the isolation and mounting of animal retinas during our vasculature studies. He will be attending the university’s School of Medicine here in Columbia and is interested in specializing in ophthalmology after completion of his medical degree. In his free time, Sean enjoys hiking, watching Formula 1, and hanging out with friends.
Sean Nampoothiry
Alumni
| Name | Program | Current Position |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Wilson | 2022-2023 Lab Manager | Medical Student, Medical University of South Carolina |
| Seth Hester | 2022-2023 Master Student | Research Specialist, Medical University of South Carolina |
| Andrew Nielson | 2022-2023 Medical Student | Medical Student, University of South Carolina - Columbia |
| Erica Trauner | 2022-2023 Undergraudate | Lab Manager, University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy |
| Olivia Gary | 2023-2023 Medical Student | Medical Student, University of South Carolina - Columbia |
| Scott Corley | 2022-2023 Medical Student | Medical Student, University of South Carolina - Columbia |
| Jake Brezner | 2022-2023 Undergraduate | Undergraduate, University of South Carolina - Columbia |
Current Open Positions