Grant: Operating Grant

Heart disease occurs when important blood vessels become narrow or blocked and can no longer give enough blood to meet the demand of the heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the Western world and will soon become the leading cause of death in developing nations. Since a cell type called macrophages are the cells primarily responsible for fat and cholesterol accumulation in arteries supplying blood to the heart, the primary research focus of my lab is to develop methods to target macrophages to either prevent fat accumuation or enhance its removal if it already exists. In this context, the objective of the current proposal seeks to identify and charcterize the functional properties of different types of macrophages, some of which appear beneficial and others deterimental. We will use an animal model and intentionally change the quality of macrophages present to determine if this change can affect the development of heart disease. The investigation of different types of macrophages and their influence on the development of heart disease has not been studied previously. The proposal seeks to identify the varying disease potential of cells that have been established to have a critical role in lesion development in arteries supplying blood to the heart. Once this study determines which type of macrophages are the most beneficial in regards to protection from disease, my lab will pursue strategies aimed at the development of novel therapeutics than can modulate macrophage function to either protect patients at an increased risk of heart disease or prevent progression of existing disease.