PREVAGE: Preventing vascular Aging by Targeting perivascular Fibroblasts Communication and Function

• Applicant: Professorin Judith Sluimer, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Cardiology, Angiology ; Cardiac and Vascular Surgery ; Pathology ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 551279788

The saying "A man is as old as his arteries" means that the health of your blood vessels can affect how old you are. When blood vessels age, it can lead to heart problems. While we used to think aging couldn't be changed, recent research shows that some effects of aging on cells and organs can be reversed. However, we don't have a good treatment yet to fix the damage aging does to blood vessels. In my research, I've found that a type of cell called fibroblasts play a key role in maintaining blood pressure in the walls of blood vessels, especially in a layer called the adventitia. I believe that if we can change how these fibroblasts communicate with each other, we can make old arteries younger again. To do this, we need to study the genes and molecules involved in fibroblast communication in aging blood vessels. I have experience in studying blood vessels and fibroblasts, and access to human tissue samples. But to fully understand this process, we need spatial genetics and advanced lab techniques. My plan is to: 1. Study how cell communication changes with age in different species. 2. Show how molecules in cells interact with each other in aging blood vessels. 3. Find ways to reverse the effects of aging on cell communication. This research will give us a detailed map of how cells talk to each other in aging blood vessels, which could help us find ways to keep blood vessels healthy as people get older. Ultimately, we hope to find ways to slow down the aging of blood vessels and promote healthy aging.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants