David Poole

Our research focusses on understanding the fundamental processes controlling skeletal muscle oxygen delivery and use during exercise.  Oxygen transport pathway limitations in heart failure, diabetes and lung disease erode the person’s quality of life, exacerbating mortality and morbidity.  Using animal models from the mouse, rat, dog, horse to elephant and human we have unveiled the dynamics of blood-tissue oxygen transport during exercise. Our original data-based capillary function model has driven a paradigm shift in our understanding of microvascular function: Identifying novel targets for pharmacological and behavioral interventions.  Our long-term goal is to promote an accurate understanding of these processes especially in higher education and translate them into enhanced scientific discovery and patient care.