206-884-1314
Andy.Shih@SeattleChildrens.org
Cerebal Microinfarcts
Modelling the Smallest Strokes
Brain Microvessel Imaging
The Neurovascular Unit and Brain Injury
Stroke Injury and Recovery
Imaging How Brain Circuits Remodel

What we do

Our research focuses on the small blood vessels that delivery oxygen and nutrients to all reaches of the brain. In the human brain, an estimated 400 miles of blood vessels delivers blood to 100 billion neurons. This immensely complex task can easily go awry during human disease. When we are young, genetic and environmental factors can compromise the normal development of brain vasculature. As we age, leakage and blockage of small vessels can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Our laboratory studies how blood vessels grow, degrade, and respond to injury from birth to senescence. We hope that our research will yield new ways to reduce to improve cerebrovascular function in brain diseases that affect both children and adults.

meet the team

We are brain imagers

Andy Shih
Andy Shih
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor
Stephanie Bonney, Ph.D.
Stephanie Bonney, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow
Perivascular cells in small vessel disease
Stefan Stamenkovic, Ph.D.
Stefan Stamenkovic, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow
Deep imaging of small vessel disease in white matter
Yuandong (Jenny) Li, Ph.D.
Yuandong (Jenny) Li, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow
Pericyte dysfunction and oxygen delivery
Cara Nielson
Cara Nielson
PhD Graduate Student
Mechanisms of pericyte remodeling
Nicolas Weitermann
Nicolas Weitermann
Research Technician
Microvascular structure and function in gray and white matter
Liam Sullivan
Liam Sullivan
Research Technician
Mouse tools for pericyte imaging
Taryn Tieu
Taryn Tieu
Research Technician
Microglial dynamics in the developing and adult brain
Lila Faulhaber
Lila Faulhaber
Research Technician
Cerebrovascular dysfunction associated with CAR-T cell therapy-induced neurotoxicity
Maria Sosa
Maria Sosa
Research Technician
Perivascular cell types in small vessel disease

Lab Updates

Public 3-D EM resources to study cerebrovasculature

A new collaborative paper explains how public volume electron microscopy data sets can be used to study cerebrovascular structure in unprecedented detail.  

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Perivascular fibroblasts: An elusive cell in the neurovascular unit.

Perivascular fibroblasts: An elusive cell in the neurovascular unit.

Congratulations to Stephanie Bonney for a new publication on perivascular fibroblasts. Direct link to PDF. Perivascular fibroblasts (PVFs) are a specialized cell type...

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Cara Nielson joins the lab!

Cara Nielson joins the lab!

We are excited to welcome Cara Nielson to the lab!  Cara is a graduate student in the Neuroscience program at the University of Washington. She’s interested in...

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