Investigating the role of IL-33/ST2 signalling in the cardiac and vascular remodelling associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension
Dr Kathryn Wilson from the University of Glasgow is working out how inflammatory processes cause pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where lung blood vessels narrow and the pressure within the vessel rises. To compensate the heart pumps harder to supply blood to the lungs, and over time the heart enlarges, eventually leading to heart failure. Inflammation is linked to the narrowing of lung blood vessels we see in PAH. Scientists have found that a molecule released by cells called interleukin 33 (IL-33) can reduce inflammation by binding to another molecule called ST2. Mice without ST2 develop PAH, and IL-33 can prevent hearts enlarging, but we don’t yet understand how. Dr Wilson thinks IL-33 and ST2 may protect the human heart and lungs, and offer a new way to treat PAH. In this project, Dr Wilson will investigate the why PAH develops in mice lacking ST2. She will use a new heart imaging technique to investigate changes in the heart and track the progression of PAH. She will also study ST2 and IL33 in people with PAH to find out if they act as biological markers that can help identify PAH. By understanding more about ST2 and IL33, this research could reveal a new way to treat PAH by preventing the changes in structure of the heart and blood vessels.
Project details
| Grant amount | £276,335 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Fellowships |
| Application type | Immediate Postdoctoral Basic Science Research Fellowship |
| Start Date | 01 July 2017 |
| Duration | 5 years |
| Reference | FS/17/4/32436 |
| Status | In Progress |
