Project 453913

Millions of Canadians are affected by disease of the blood vessels whereby blood vessels accumulate crystals and calcify. These calcified vessels cause heart disease and have been linked to increased cardiovascular disease and deaths, however there are currently no drugs to halt the progression of, let alone reverse, this condition. Recent discoveries have highlighted the role of small cell pieces, called extracellular vesicles, in facilitating cell-to-cell communication in tissues. The first goal of this research proposal is to characterize how these extracellular vesicles control the communication between two types of cells in calcific blood vessel disease: vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Macrophages are made from the same cells that break down calcified bone tissue. The second goal of this research proposal is to use extracellular vesicles to turn macrophages into cells that can break down calcification, and therefore reverse calcification. The future development of drugs that can regress this blood vessel disease are expected to have significant impact of reducing calcified blood vessel-related heart disease.