Dr Diane Proudfoot

Calcification: My research focuses on the development of bone-like calcium phosphate particles in blood vessels, that occurs during ageing and in diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension and chronic kidney disease. My studies in human vascular smooth muscle cells found that micro- and nanoparticles of calcium phosphate have damaging properties by inducing calcium signalling, pro-inflammatory signalling and cell death. Investigating the nature, location and activity of calcium phosphate particles could aid our understanding of mechanisms involved in the development and consequences of pathological calcification, which may uncover strategies to enable treatments for vascular calcification.