Dr. Marie Billaud is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and in the Thoracic Aortic Disease Research Lab of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Billaud received her PhD from the Université de Bordeaux in France where she focused on intercellular communication, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide signaling in the pulmonary circulation. Dr. Billaud further completed her post-doctoral work at the University of Virginia, where she identified the role of a newly discovered protein (pannexin 1) in the regulation of vascular tone and systemic blood pressure. In close collaboration with cardiac surgeons, Dr. Billaud’s primary research goal at the University of Pittsburgh is to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving thoracic aortic aneurysm. She integrates her knowledge in reactive oxygen species signalization to identify the mechanisms behind oxidative stress in the aorta of patients with bicuspid aortic valve. In parallel, Dr. Billaud incorporates her skills in vascular physiology to investigate the highly remodeled aortic vasa vasorum network in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm.
