Dr. Coen van Solingen Received a Career Development Award from the American Heart Association (2019-2021)

Dr. Coen van Solingen received a Career Development Award from the American Heart Association (2019-2021). The research plan awarded investigates how a newly discovered peptide, expressed only in humans, can promote inflammation that drives heart disease. We have named this small peptide Inflammation Modulating Peptide (IMP). Interestingly, IMP was found in the parts of the DNA that we used to call ‘junk DNA’. IMP is detected in high levels in the immune cells that are present in the developing atherosclerotic plaque. Our research suggests that IMP stimulates the inflammatory response within these cells, and we are working to understand how it does this, with the ultimate goal of designing a therapy to block it.