Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

A majority of North Americans are overweight or obese. Obesity is a well known risk factor for various heart diseases. One underlying feature of cardiovascular diseases is the presence of oxidative stress, which can damage the mitochondria, cellular structures that are crucial for energy production. Oxidative stress is a condition that occurs when free radicals cannot be neutralized adequately by cellular antioxidants. In the heart, glutathione is a major antioxidant, which is known to be decreased in obese humans and animals. I believe that glutathione is reduced in obese hearts due to faulty biosynthesis. Thus I will investigate the enzymatic mechanisms responsible for creating and maintaining the levels of glutathione in the heart of obese mice by comparing samples from the hearts of mice fed a low fat diet versus high-fat diet (obese). This research will provide a better understanding of the regulation and expression of glutathione in the obese heart and may lead to strategies to better manage and prevent cardiovascular disease in individuals by improving the levels of this antioxidant.