Neutrophil-induced pro-angiogenic T-cells: differentiation, function and therapeutic potential in cardiovascular diseases
Dr Suchita Nadkarni from Queen Mary University of London is studying how interactions between the body’s immune system and blood vessels can influence the outcome of certain heart and circulatory diseases and procedures, such as heart attacks or heart transplants. Dr Nadkarni has previously discovered that certain types of immune cells, known as neutrophils and T cells, communicate with each other to boost normal blood vessel growth in healthy pregnant women. However, these T cells no longer do this in women with pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure. In this project, Dr Nadkarni wants to work out how these neutrophils and T cells interact with each other in health and disease, the molecular processes underpinning how neutrophils boost the T cells, and what role they play in heart injury. She will work out if this interaction could be manipulated to create an environment that will boost blood vessel growth and help heart tissues repair and heal. This could ultimately prevent diseases progressing or causing more problems, or prevent heart transplants being rejected. By giving a better insight and a new perspective into how immune system and blood vessel complications arise from a variety of heart and circulatory diseases, this research could reveal new ways to treat them.
Project details
| Grant amount | £669,712 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Fellowships |
| Application type | Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellowship |
| Start Date | 01 April 2017 |
| Duration | 5 years |
| Reference | FS/17/1/32528 |
| Status | In Progress |
