Research
Dissecting the role of B cell immunity in atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction
Heart attacks are the main causes of death worldwide. The main underlying pathology of this devastating condition is atherosclerosis, a lipid-driven chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque in large and medium size arteries. Plaque rupture or erosion triggers thrombus formation, which restricts blood flow in the artery, thereby limiting oxygen supply to the heart muscle and consequently causing myocardial cell necrosis. B cells play a cardinal role both in atherosclerosis and post myocardial infarction injury. My research aims to dissect the mechanisms by which B cells impact these pathologies and identify the molecular machinery that governs the altered B cell responses in these settings. To achieve these goals, we study transgenic atherosclerosis-prone mice by employing state of the art techniques.
Other Collaborators
Prof.Christoph J Binder (Medical University of Vienna)
Prof. Pascal Schneider (University of Lausanne)