Biography
Alex is a PhD student in the Atherosclerosis and Vascular Remodelling Group. He has a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and medical science, majoring in molecular biology and genetics. He is currently exploring how vascular cells behave in the atherosclerotic plaque.
Project description
Atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty plaques in the arteries, is the leading cause of cardiovascular complications (heart attack, stroke, etc) worldwide. Numerous risk factors, such as diabetes, are known to worsen disease burden – diabetic atherosclerotic patients have a three times higher risk of cardiovascular mortality that non-diabetic atherosclerotic patients. However, the mechanisms underpinning this increased risk is not fully understood.
Cells within the atherosclerotic plaque, such as vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, display diverse phenotypic heterogeneity that ultimately impacts the stability of the atherosclerotic plaque, and hence the likelihood of plaque rupture and subsequent cardiovascular events. Very little is known about how diabetes influences how these cells behave, and how they ultimately increase cardiovascular risk. The research aims to investigate the behaviour of these cells using fate mapping, clonal analysis and ATAC-Seq.
The research aims to:
- Better understand how vascular cells behave in the diabetic atherosclerotic plaque
- Investigate how different therapeutic options (such as anti-inflammatory therapy) alter cell behaviour under diabetic conditions
- Identify specific cell phenotypes and mechanistic pathways that may be targeted to improve patient outcomes by identifying novel therapies