Posted on | CategoriesNutrition & Integrative Physiology | PI: J. David Symons, PhD & Sihem Boudina, PhD

Late-in-life Exercise Training Increases Intracellular Protein Recycling in the Heart

Heart cells (known as myocytes) work hard. Over a human lifetime, the heart beats approximately 2.5 billion times. As myocytes age, and especially in the presence of disease, they accumulate damaged intracellular components such as misfolded proteins. This build-up of damaged cellular material can cause cardiac dysfunction, diminish quality of life, and lead to premature death. Continue reading → Late-in-life Exercise Training Increases Intracellular Protein Recycling in the Heart

Research Statement

We explore mechanisms responsible for vascular dysfunction associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Recently we are interrogating the contribution from endothelial cell autophagy to vascular complications that occur during the aging process. This is relevant because aging-related cardiovascular complications are the primary cause of death in individuals > 65 y old, and patient-management costs to the healthcare system are enormous and unsustainable.