Guillermo Oliver

Guillermo Oliver, PhD, is the Thomas D. Spies Professor of Lymphatic Metabolism and Professor of Medicine (Nephrology and Hypertension) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He leads the Center for Vascular & Developmental Biology and the Oliver Lab, focusing on lymphatic vasculature development, forebrain, and eye morphogenesis. His work employs mouse models, 3D organ cultures, stem cells, and iPSCs.

• PhD, University of Uruguay (1990)

Research Interests span lymphatic vasculature in health and disease, including its role in obesity, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, hypertension, atherosclerosis, glaucoma, and neurological disorders. His lab discovered transcription factor Prox1 as a lymphatic marker and its role in maintaining lymphatic cell identity. Recent work explores mitochondrial respiration's role in lymphatic development and Reelin in cardiac repair.

Key Publications reveal groundbreaking findings on lymphatic-endothelial cell fate, VEGFC/D signaling in coronary lymphangiogenesis, lactate's role in eye development, and Reelin's therapeutic potential for cardiac diseases. His lab's studies link lymphatic defects to adult-onset obesity and Alzheimer's disease.

Scientific Awards:

• Fundacion Jesus Sierra Visiting Scientist (2022)
• NAVBO Meritorious Earl P. Benditt Award (2021)
• Elected Member, Academia de Ciencias de America Latina (2020)
• External Board Member, Latin America Society for Developmental Biology (2019)
• AAAS Fellow (2011)
• Lymphatic Research Foundation Leadership Award (2008)

Advising & Collaborations: Mentored 15+ lab alumni now in academia, industry, and research institutions across four countries. Current editorial roles include Journal of Clinical Investigation, Science Advances, and advisory panels for NIH-NHLBI and the Leducq Foundation. Funded by NIH O’Brien Kidney Center and Transatlantic Networks of Excellence grants.