Halting the build-up of plaques in our arteries to prevent heart attacks and strokes

Role of c-Rel NF-kappaB transcription factor in endothelial pathophysiology and atherosclerosis

Heart attacks and strokes happen when areas of fatty build-up within our arteries, known as plaques, rupture. As blood flows through our circulatory system, it creates friction on the wall of the blood vessels which can be sensed by the cells which line them, called endothelial cells. In areas where blood vessels branch or bend, the complex pattern of blood flow and friction can damage these cells and make plaques more likely to form. Professor Paul Evans and his team at the University of Sheffield have previously shown that this pattern of blood flow switches on a molecule called c-Rel in endothelial cells. In this project, the researchers will investigate this further using mice which lack this molecule in their blood vessels. They will study how this affects the development of plaques, what they are made up of, and how likely they are to rupture. If they show that mice lacking c-Rel have lower levels of build-up of these dangerous plaques, this project could pave the way for developing drugs to block this molecule and reduce a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke.