Naomi Hamburg, MD, the Joseph A. Vita Professor of Medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, has been awarded a 5-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for her research study, “Endothelial Cell Health Across the Spectrum of Cardiometabolic Disease.”
Cardiometabolic diseases are a group of common but often preventable conditions including heart attack, stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The escalating prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors including obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) presents a critical cardiovascular challenge. Individuals with cardiometabolic disease harbor greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including accelerated vascular aging and premature blood vessel blockages. Importantly, changes in the endothelial cells that line blood vessels predate the development of clinical CVD. Endothelial cell health is a window into early heart disease risk. Getting a glimpse into endothelial cells from people has potential to help create new treatments to protect blood vessel health.
