Analysis of extracellular vesicle interactions with vascular endothelium under physiological shear stress is required to determine their role in endothelial injury, cytoprotection and as a therapeutic target
To maintain a healthy circulation the cells lining our arteries and veins send and receive chemical messages to and from other cells. This cell-cell communication occurs in several different ways. One way is via microscopic particles released from cells circulating in the blood. They contain chemical messages, and have proteins on their surface that lock-on and deliver the message to recipient cells lining our blood vessels. Levels of these particles are seen to be raised in blood samples from people with heart and circulatory disease. So, in addition to their vital role in keeping our circulation working well, it is thought that the particles can also have damaging effects. However, our current understanding of the particles’ protective and detrimental actions is poor. In this project, Professor Justin Mason and his team hope to discover which microscopic particles are protective and which are harmful. They aim to find out, in mice and human tissue samples, how the particles exert their effects on the cells that line blood vessels. They will also consider how medicines might be used to combat harmful particles, as a way to reduce the risk of heart and circulatory disease.
Project details
| Grant amount | £275,840 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 15 July 2017 |
| Duration | 3 years, 3 months |
| Reference | PG/16/96/32557 |
| Status | In Progress |
