Dr Ernesto Schiffrin听
Dr Schiffrin is world renowned听in the fields of vascular and hypertension research. His most recent award,听The Margolese National Heart Disorders Prize 2016, was for advancing the understanding of high blood pressure鈥檚 effects on vasculature. He was one of 3 of Canada鈥檚 leading researchers in brain health, heart health and cancer to have been singled out by the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine for their accomplishments, and for their potential to make further contributions in their fields.
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Dr Stella Daskalopoulou
Dr Daskalopoulou is the Director of the Vascular Health Unit at the MGH. Her research focuses on the identification of early markers of vascular impairment and maintenance of vascular health.听听听 听
Dr听Daskalopoulou founded and directs the Vascular Health Unit at the 91社区 Health Centre, which consists of a Clinical Lab (Physiology and Imaging Labs) and a Wet-bench Lab, and was funded by two CFIs and other sources. The Clinical Lab is strategically located in close proximity to the outpatient clinics at the Montreal General Hospital, possessing a peerless institutional capacity to conduct translational, patient-centered vascular research in a clinical environment. The Wet-bench Lab is located at the Glen (RI-MUHC) and it accommodates fundamental research related to atherosclerosis.
She recently received a听a Senior Clinical Research Scholar Salary Award from the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Sant茅 (FRQS Chercheurs-boursiers clinician 鈥� Senior). The overarching theme of her clinical and fundamental program is the identification of early markers of vascular impairment and maintenance of vascular health, with a focus on cardiometabolic diseases, women鈥檚 health, and vascular disease prevention.
Dr Daskalopoulou was awarded a grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation entitled,听 Modulation of the Adiponectin Receptor Pathway: a Novel Target for Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque Stabilization for her basic science research program. This funding will complement her recent 2 CIHR-funded projects that aim to unravel the mechanisms underlying the atherosclerotic process and contributing to plaque instability.
About the Project
Adiponectin, the most abundant adipokine, exerts its anti-inflammatory and vasculoprotective properties by interacting with its two receptors, adiponectin receptors (AdipoR) 1 and 2. Dr Daskalopoulou has recently demonstrated a decrease in AdipoR2 expression and activity in unstable versus stable carotid plaques, in parallel with an increase in adiponectin local expression. Her projects will determine whether plaque instability is a result of a defective adiponectin-AdipoR2 pathway, particularly in the monocyte-macrophage lineage, and whether restoring this defect can promote stability.
Clinical Impact
This translational research will advance the field of atherosclerosis by establishing adiponectin-AdipoR2 pathway as a novel mechanism of plaque instability. This study takes a comprehensive approach to establish whether modulation of the adiponectin receptor pathways by using current and new compounds can restore its defect, thus providing evidence for this pathway as a potential therapeutic target for plaque stabilization and ultimately, stroke prevention.
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Dr Steven Grover
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Dr Grover's research focuses on the importance of exercise, healthy eating, and other lifestyle interventions to improve health, as well as on digital, e-health interventions using web-based platforms.
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