Defining A New Player In Atherosclerosis: The Role Of Adventitial Haemangioblasts As An Outside-in Driver Of Plaque Growth And Stability.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$728,005.00
Summary
As the underlying cause of heart attack, atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. New approaches to treatment are desperately needed and this requires a better understanding of how atherosclerotic plaques form in arteries. This project studies a new population of stem cells that we have discovered in the outer layer of arteries, to determine how they cause plaques to form, so that we can develop new therapies that target these stem cells to more effectively treat atherosclerosis.
The kidneys of infants born preterm continue to develop after birth. However, preterm infants are exposed to high oxygen levels which may impact on ongoing development. In a rodent model of oxygen exposure, the blood vessels of the kidney and the numbers of stem cells will be assessed; additionally, further stem cells will be administered in order to try and prevent any impairment. It is expected that the findings of this study will help to explain the effects of preterm birth on the kidney.
MYOCARDIAL NEOVASCULARIZATION FOR ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE USING BONE MARROW-DERIVED ANGIOBLASTS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$577,400.00
Summary
Congestive heart failure remains a major public health problem. In Western societies heart failure is primarily the consequence of a previous myocardial infarction. We have recently identified certain cells in the bone marrow of adult humans that can cause new blood vessel development in the heart after infarction, protecting the heart muscle cells against death and preventing heart failure. Since the cardiovascular diseases that are most likely to benefit from treatments utilizing adult bone ma ....Congestive heart failure remains a major public health problem. In Western societies heart failure is primarily the consequence of a previous myocardial infarction. We have recently identified certain cells in the bone marrow of adult humans that can cause new blood vessel development in the heart after infarction, protecting the heart muscle cells against death and preventing heart failure. Since the cardiovascular diseases that are most likely to benefit from treatments utilizing adult bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitors, or angioblasts, predominantly affect aging individuals, critical questions that must be addressed are whether advanced age and-or progression of cardiovascular disease reduce the total numbers and-or the functional activity of such cells. In the current proposal we will investigate the relationship between increasing age or progression of ischemic heart disease and changes in the number and in vivo biologic properties of human angioblasts. Patients at various ages and stage of cardiovascular disease will be studied. Angioblast numbers will be quantitated in freshly obtained bone marrow cells. The ability of purified angioblasts to be targeted to the ischemic heart will be studied by labeling the angioblasts with a radioactive tracer and measuring tracer uptake in the heart at various time points after intravenous infusion of the cells. Finally, angioblast functional capacity will be evaluated using standard measurements of heart function before and at various time points after reinfusion of cells into the donor. In Aims 2 and 3 of this proposal we will focus our investigations on the potential use of angioblast therapy for reversal of established chronic heart failure in our animal models. Specifically, we will investigate whether induction of neovascularization results in cardiomyocyte regeneration and explore novel strategies to augment heart muscle regeneration by increasing angioblast trafficking to the damaged myocardium .Read moreRead less