Grant: CANADA-HOPE Scholarship Program / Fellowship

High blood pressure (hypertension) affects thirty percent of Sub-Saharan Africans and North Americans. It is the most frequent reason for consultation of family physicians in Canada and is the leading cause of heart disease, kidney failure and stroke worldwide. Despite the fact that this condition is so common and is a major killer, we still do not know exactly what causes high blood pressure. Factors that have been suggested include increased production in the body of free radicals, called reactive oxygen species. High levels of free radicals cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, brain and kidneys and could promote an increase in blood pressure. Processes responsible for increased production of dangerous free radicals are unclear, but special proteins, called Noxs, may be important. The present proposal will focus on understanding how a newly discovered Nox - Nox5 might contribute to free radical production in vessels and the kidney and how it can contribute to blood pressure elevation and kidney damage. The clinical significance of our studies relates to the fact that this Nox may be an important target for new therapies. By learning more about this new Nox5 through research, new and better drugs and strategies for treating, and perhaps even preventing, hypertension and kidney disease may be developed. Considering that hypertension is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Canada and Sub-Saharan Africa, this would impact significantly on the overall well-being and health of these populations at large.