The exploratory research to investigate the novel anti-atherosclerotic factor using iPS cells

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26860583
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Cardiovascular medicine
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Kusumoto Dai 慶應義塾大学, 医学部(信濃町), 助教 (70571727)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 動脈硬化 / iPS細胞 / 血管内皮細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Throughout our lives, we are exposed to cellular stress, which causes age-related diseases, such as metabolic syndromes, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Although we have evolved several innate protective mechanisms from cellular stress, the damage is often cumulative and irreversible. However, in rare cases, patients with strong chronic stress such as uncontrolled diabetes, exhibit minimal organ damage, suggesting that they would have strong innate protective mechanisms. Although there are several methods of genetic analysis, including genome-wide association study and exome sequencing, the vascular protective mechanisms are still unknown.
In this study, we used the endothelial cells (ECs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of severe diabetic patients with mild atherosclerosis to examine these innate protective mechanisms and explore a molecular target, to propose a novel vascular protective mechanism against cellular stresses.

Free Research Field

循環器内科