For clear and modern measurement, research and education in blood pressure, vascular function, and autonomic function.

The Blood Pressure and Arterial Function (BPAF) Laboratory has a basic science approach to cardiovascular haemodynamics but achieving translational application. The laboratory has a strong engineering background. However, research is foremost grounded and informed by physiology.

The BPAF Laboratory specialises, and is open to collaboration, in the following areas:

Aortic and peripheral blood pressure and arterial stiffness assessment. Researching the utility of, and potential improvements in non-invasively assessed aortic blood pressure properties. This includes cuff-based assessment (Peebles et al. 2020) and cuffless, wearable approaches (Avolio et al. 2022). The Laboratory also developed a new arterial stiffness assessment method (Butlin et al. 2013) and interrogates large and small (retinal) artery stiffness, and measurement confounders (Tan et al. 2016).

Autonomic dysfunction – basis, development and assessment. A research theme of the basis and development of autonomic dysfunction is investigated with an applied approach to diseases where autonomic dysfunction is prevalent (Peebles et al. 2022), with a current focus on connective tissue disorders. The BPAF Laboratory expertise in measurement also extends to research to improve autonomic function assessment.

Cardiovascular assessment during sleep. Cardiovascular assessment without sleep interruption is challenging. The BPAF Laboratory collaborates with sleep laboratories at the Woolcock Institute (Phillips et al. 2013) and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) to bring the specialty areas listed above to sleep studies.

Using rodent models of disease to understand cardiovascular impacts. The BPAF Laboratory also has expertise in applying the above human-based techniques to rodent studies, including comprehensive arterial stiffness assessment (Butlin et al. 2020).

Cerebral haemodynamics. The above areas impact cerebral pulsatile haemodynamics (Avolio et al. 2018) and perfusion (Woodford et al. 2023). Research includes basic science, cell-based experiments demonstrating vascular links to Alzheimer’s disease (Gangoda et al. 2018).

The BPAF Laboratory has collaborated with the following industry partners to bring cardiovascular innovation to people in the clinical and general public spaces: CardieX, QANTAS, Blumio, The Brain Protection Company, Fledge Innovation Labs.

Please take a look at the BPAF Laboratory Team for up to date information on research projects, profiles, and publications.

10 key publications