"A breath of fresh air in cardiovascular research"

Blood vessels supply essential oxygen to all parts of the body. However, their function is disrupted by aging, high blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. This can cause atherosclerosis and subsequent complications, such as heart attacks or strokes. Current treatments unfortunately do not work well enough to prevent this in everyone. With a new perspective and innovative technologies, my team and I provided a breath of fresh air to cardiovascular research. We investigated disease development at the individual cell level to establish better treatments.

In my lecture, I explain the importance of oxygen metabolism in the cell for cholesterol levels, and for healthy communication between inflammatory cells and connective tissue cells. These new insights stimulated, like oxygen, further research into the differences between individual connective tissue cells. By using expression profiles of individual cells, we aim to steer the disease development towards favorable cell subtypes, functions, and cell-cell communication as early as possible, thereby keeping people and their blood vessels healthy for as long as possible.

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