Research Summary

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Dr. Khoo’s research interests lie at the intersection of bioengineering, cardiorespiratory physiology and sleep medicine. He and his team develop computational models and employ novel experimental techniques to obtain a better understanding and improved quantitative characterization of the mechanisms responsible for the abnormal regulation of the autonomic and metabolic control and sleep-wake states in chronic diseases or clinical syndromes, such as sleep-related breathing disorders (including sleep apnea), hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and sickle cell disease. The complex dynamics of the closed-loop interactions that occur among the cardiovascular, respiratory and sleep regulatory systems give rise to spontaneous variability in the key physiological variables. In many cases, the patterns arising from these natural fluctuations can be utilized as “signatures” of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. To delineate cause from effect from these closed-loop interactions, a combination of physiology-based modeling and estimation techniques is applied to analyze and interpret physiological data obtained from noninvasive studies in humans. Dr. Khoo’s Cardio-Respiratory Sleep Lab collaborates closely with physician-scientists and physiologists from Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, USC Keck School of Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and UCLA. The most recent research studies are focusing on determining the relative importance of (“phenotyping”) the underlying mechanisms of sleep apnea using computational modeling and noninvasive sleep measurements in children with Down Syndrome. His laboratory is also working on the development of improved noninvasive methodologies for predicting vaso-occlusive crises in patients with sickle-cell disease.