Taben M Hale, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Medical Sciences - The University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University

UA Office Phone: (602) 827-2139
Office: Building ABC1, Room 327
Email: taben.hale@arizona.edu

Education:

Post Doc: Cardiovascular Pharmacology/Physiology; Universite de Montreal; 2003-2008

PhD; Department of Pharmacology, Queen's University; 2003

Research Interests:

Despite a growing number of effective therapies, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in North America. The long-term goal of my research is to contribute to a greater understanding of the causes and consequences of cardiovascular disease and sexual dysfunction, and the identification of novel treatment strategies for these conditions. There is an increasing awareness that sexual dysfunction may precede clinically evident coronary artery disease and that these two seemingly distinct conditions actually have common risk factors and etiologies. My work has focused on the role that changes in vascular structure have on the long-term control of blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. Currently, the treatment options for men suffering from erectile dysfunction are only symptomatic in nature and do not target the underlying cause of the disease.

Similarly, treatment of hypertension has focused on reduction of blood pressure as the primary endpoint. Common to these and other cardiovascular diseases (coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, etc) are pathological changes in vascular structure and impaired endothelial function. Therefore, treatment strategies that target vascular remodeling may represent an unmet opportunity to treat both cardiovascular disease and sexual dysfunction.

In experimental models of cardiovascular disease, treatment with certain drugs can produce a decrease in blood pressure and a regression of vascular structure that persist long after the cessation of treatment. The current work in my laboratory focuses on characterizing and identifying the mechanisms behind these changes in the vasculature and target organs (including heart and kidney), and ultimately determining whether these persistent changes in the circulation can confer long-term protection against cardiovascular disease. The experimental approaches include in vivo, whole animal assessments of blood pressure and sexual function, organ culture of isolated perfused blood vessels, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and biochemical and molecular analyses of DNA, RNA and protein.

PubMed Link:

Search PubMed for a complete listing of Dr. Hale's publications

Selected Publications:

  1. TM Hale, JL Hannan, S Carrier, D deBlois, MA Adams. (2008) Targeting Vascular Structure for the Treatment of Sexual Dysfunction. (In Press, Journal of Sexual Medicine)
  2. Beharry R, Hale TM, Heaton JPW, Shamloul R, Adams MA. (2008) Restoration of Female Genital Vasocongestive Arousal Responses in Young and Aged Rats. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5(4):804-12.
  3. J L Hannan, C Smallegange, TM Hale, JPW Heaton, MA Adams. (2006) Impact of Antihypertensive Treatments on Erectile Responses in Aging Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats. Journal of Hypertension. 24(1):159-169
  4. TM Hale, JL Hannan, JPW Heaton, MA Adams. (2005) Common Therapeutic Strategies in the Management of Sexual Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Disease. Current Drug Targets: Cardiovascular and Hematological Disorders. 5(2):185-195
  5. C Smallegange, TM Hale, TL Bushfield, MA Adams. (2004) Persistent Lowering Of Arterial Pressure By Transplanting Kidneys From Adult SHR Treated With Brief, Aggressive Antihypertensive Therapy. Hypertension. 44(1):89-94
  6. TM Hale, JPW Heaton, MA Adams. (2003) A Framework for the Present and Future Development of Experimental Models of Female Sexual Dysfunction. International Journal of Impotence Research: Journal of Sexual Medicine. 15(suppl 5):S75-S79
  7. TM Hale, TL Bushfield, MA Adams. (2003) Time Course of Vascular Structural Changes During and After Short Term Antihypertensive Treatment. Hypertension. 42. 171-176.
  8. TM Hale, H Okabe, TL Bushfield, JPW Heaton, MA Adams. (2002) Recovery of erectile function following brief, aggressive antihypertensive therapy. Journal of Urology. 168. 348-354
  9. TM Hale, H. Okabe, H. Kumon, J. P.W. Heaton, M. A. Adams. (2001) Antihypertensive drugs induce structural remodeling in the penile vasculature. Journal of Urology. 166. 739-745.