THE VISION
IMPACT S.C. is my experimental, team-based approach to science. IMPACT or Inflammation Metabolism Physiology for Advanced Cellular Therapeutics reflects the scientific focus and mission of the lab; while S.C. or Science Center is similar to the F.C., or futbol (soccer) clubs around the world and reflects the team approach. While this might be perceived as my answer to the Science Twitter debate of how laboratories should be named, it is actually rooted in my 10+ years of science whereby the principal investigator creates the initial scientific question and provides the financial capital to answer this question and the trainee under the guidance of the principal investigator and with the support of their peers becomes the scientific expert and driving force leading to the answer. Key to this approach is establishing a transparent, collaborative, and stimulating research environment, which takes a team effort to achieve. Of course this perspective is completely crafted while within the trainee shoes and now that shoe is on the other foot or it is an entirely new pair of shoes as principal investigator, this view is likely to evolve. But the goal is to sustain the funds to pursue the ever-growing science below, while doing all in my power to help my trainees achieve their goals.
THE SCIENCE
Inflammatory links between Myocardial Infarction and Vascular Dementia
Myocardial infarction is associated with increased risk for vascular dementia. In both myocardial infarction and vascular dementia, there is evidence that elevated inflammatory biomarkers are associated with worsened clinical outcomes. Myocardial infarction leads to a systemic inflammatory response, which may contribute to recruitment or activation of myeloid cells, including monocytes, microglia, and perivascular macrophages, within the central nervous system. However, our understanding of the causative roles for these cells linking cardiac injury to the development and progression of dementia is incomplete.
Cardiometabolic disease fuels neuroinflammation leading to Vascular Dementia
The number of individuals living with dementia, continues to grow, leading to significant morbidity and mortality and increasing the strain on our public health systems. The two most common causes of dementia in the elderly include vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with cognitive impairment arising from either alone or a mix. VaD has stronger associations with cardiometabolic risk factors, including those that underlie heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF is growing in prevalence, lacks effective therapeutics, and frequently coexists with VaD; raising concern that this will exacerbate the growing epidemic of dementia worldwide. HFpEF is characterized by systemic inflammation and both coronary and systemic endothelial dysfunction, which may initiate or accelerate VaD. While small-scale prospective studies have found an association between higher levels of systemic inflammation and increased risk for VaD, whether systemic inflammation also reflects neuropathological mechanisms remains unclear. Cardiometabolic risk factors are known to alter myeloid cell abundance and metabolism, the latter a key determinant of myeloid cell reprogramming and function. This raises the possibility that changes in myeloid cells underlies VaD onset and progression.