The Shao Laboratory
We investigate how remodeling of the HDL proteome links metabolic and inflammatory diseases to cardiovascular risk. Using translational human studies, advanced mass spectrometry–based proteomics, and mechanistic disease models, our research seeks to define how dysfunctional HDL contributes to atherosclerosis, diabetes, kidney disease, and related inflammatory conditions, and to identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Laboratory Overview
The Shao Laboratory studies how changes in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) structure and protein composition link metabolic and inflammatory diseases to cardiovascular risk. Although HDL is traditionally viewed as “good cholesterol,” growing evidence shows that its protective functions depend on molecular composition rather than circulating levels. Our research focuses on understanding how oxidative stress, diabetes, and kidney disease remodel HDL and generate dysfunctional particles that promote vascular disease.
Early work in the laboratory identified oxidative pathways mediated by myeloperoxidase and reactive carbonyl species that impair the cholesterol-removing and anti-inflammatory functions of HDL. Current studies extend these findings by applying quantitative proteomics to define how systemic diseases alter the HDL proteome in humans. We investigate how disease-associated proteins—including those originating from extrahepatic tissues such as the lung—associate with HDL and reflect cross-organ injury and cardiovascular risk.
Using advanced mass spectrometry, cell and animal models, and translational human cohorts, the laboratory develops sensitive assays to measure plasma and HDL-associated protein and oxidative biomarkers in human disease. Our long-term goal is to understand how HDL dysfunction contributes to atherosclerosis, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, and to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets that improve cardiovascular risk prediction and prevention.
Laboratory Members
