Control of expression and activity of the ABCG1 cholesterol transporter in vascular cells

动脉粥样硬化是一种导致动脉狭窄和心脏病发作的疾病，许多澳大利亚人死于心脏病发作。在动脉粥样硬化的早期阶段，胆固醇在我们血管壁的细胞内积聚。在这个项目中，我们计划研究这些细胞中存在的一种分子，我们认为这种分子对输出不需要的胆固醇很重要。如果我们能发现这种分子是如何工作的，我们可能能够设计药物来增加它的能力，从而预防或逆转动脉粥样硬化的过程。

Atherosclerosis is the disease that narrows arteries and causes heart attacks, which kill many Australians. In the early stages of atherosclerosis, cholesterol builds up inside the cells in the walls of our blood vessels. In this project, we plan to study a molecule present in these cells that we think is important for exporting unwanted cholesterol. If we can find out how this molecule works, we may be able to design drugs to increase its capacity and hence prevent or reverse the process of atherosclerosis.