Role of advanced glycated end products in mediating diabetes associated atherosclerosis

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Diabetes is on the increase in the Western world and with this increase comes the burden of increased complications. One of these is atherosclerosis which leads to heart attacks, strokes and gangrene. In this grant we consider the role of a biochemical reaction where sugar attaches to proteins called advanced glycation and how it may promote atherosclerosis. We will use novel drugs to block vessel damage in a model of diabetic mice prone to atherosclerosis. We will also inject these sugar-attached proteins (AGEs) into mice to see how they directly influence the vessel wall. We will characterise molecular and cellular changes in response to these AGEs. These studies will ultimately lead to better treatments to prevent, slow down or reverse blood vessel damage in diabetes.