Research Projects
Perivascular Adipose Tissue
We are investigating the vasodilating action of the adipose tissue which surrounds small arteries (PeriVascular Adipose Tissue, or PVAT). In 2009, I published the first human small artery study of PVAT and demonstrated that the vasoactive effects are due to adiponectin release from adipocytes. I also showed that in obese patients the function of PVAT was completely lost because of adipose tissue inflammation. This observation provides a possible explanation for the development of hypertension in obesity.
A new project with Professor Mark Nelson (see collaborators) is elucidating the cellular mechanisms by which PVAT influences the adjacent small artery (Grant 1). From a clinical perspective, we are examining novel therapeutic strategies to restore PVAT function in obesity (Grants 3) and how weight loss changes PVAT function (Grants 2 and 4).
Grant funding:
1. Greenstein A.S. & Heagerty A.M. British Heart Foundation Overseas Travel Fellowship. 2011 - 2012
2. Greenstein A.S. & Heagerty A.M. British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Training Fellowship (FS/10/042/28372). 2010 - 2012
3. Greenstein A.S. & Heagerty A.M. Manchester Biomedical Research Centre Phase 1 Clinical Research Award. 2009 - 2012
4. Greenstein A.S. & Heagerty A.M. Manchester Biomedical Research Centre Clinical Fellowship. 2009 - 2010
Vascular disease in late life depression
Depression in the elderly is relatively common but the reason for this is not known. Recently, studies have implicated cardiovascular disease as a cause for depression in older patients because of the presence of characteristic ischaemic lesions seen on brain scans. We have performed the first small artery (microvascular) study of patients with late life depression and shown profound abnormalities of microvascular structure and function which mimic those seen in patients with Type 2 Diabetes. An ongoing collaboration with Old Age Psychiatry (Professor Robert Baldwin, Professor Alistair Burns and Dr Raghu Paranthaman) aims to identify patients at risk of late life depression and treatment strategies based on cardiovascular risk reduction.
Link to my Google Scholar Citations Index
Professor Daniel Henrion, Angers University, France
Professor Arthur Weston, University of Manchester http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/Arthur.weston/
Dr Gill Edwards, University of Manchester http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/gillian.edwards/personaldetails
Professor Mark Nelson, University of Vermont, USA http://www.med.uvm.edu/pharmacology/WebBio.asp?SiteAreaID=663
Personal details | Research | Publications
This website will look much better in a web browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.