Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is characterized by a buildup of plaques in blood vessel walls. Some of these plaques become dislodged and float in the blood, eventually forming clots and stopping the oxygen supply which may cause a heart attack or stroke. People living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at a higher risk of developing ASCVD. People of South Asian (SA) origin (from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc.) are disproportionately affected by higher rates of T2D and ASCVD in comparison to individuals of other ethnicities. Individuals of SA origin represent approximately 25% of the global population, yet they account for over 50% of global ASCVD-related deaths. As such, it is important to identify the underlying mechanisms that drive elevated ASCVD-risk in SAs and how the use of available therapies may benefit this high-risk population. The Verma-Hess lab focuses on vascular regenerative cell exhaustion which is defined as the loss of stem cells that repair injuries in blood vessels. The main focus of my research project revolves around identifying the role of SA ethnicity on vascular regenerative cell exhaustion by enumerating various subsets of stem cells. Our group has developed a novel and quick method to identify the different types of blood cells from patient blood. We predict that compared to White European individuals, SA individuals will demonstrate 1) a decrease in vessel regenerative stem cells and 2) an increase in pro-inflammatory stem cells. We will also conduct various analyses on a repository of vascular regenerative cell data that will take into consideration the effect of ethnicity, age, sex, use of medications, and other demographic/laboratory data on vascular regenerative cell content. Ultimately, it is the aim of my work to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the increased cardiovascular-risk in SA individuals.