Inflammation and atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the build-up of cholesterol plaques inside blood vessels that cause heart attacks.

Macrophages are a type of cell that accumulate inside these plaques to make them grow.

This team is studying two different approaches to stop this build-up of cholesterol-rich macrophages in plaque to prevent heart attacks. One is the use of an anti-inflammatory, anti-gout drug called colchicine, and the other is to block a molecule called eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K).

This project is funded by the Heart Foundation and the National Health and Medical Research Council