Led by Dr Ken Rodgers

Proteins are essential components of our cells, tissues and organs and carry out important functions in our body. The Cell Biology Group has shown that arteries from people with heart disease contain many damaged proteins. Under normal circumstances, these damaged proteins are broken down by cells and replaced, but in conditions like heart disease, this process fails. Over time these proteins continue to build up and can eventually kill our cells and damage our arteries.

Chemical analysis of the proteins present in diseased arteries show that many of them have been damaged by chemical reactions with oxygen. This is also a feature of a number of other age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

The main aim of the Cell Biology Group is to understand why these oxidised proteins accumulate and more importantly, how this process can be prevented or reversed. In scientific terms, our mission is to understand the cellular pathways and mechanisms responsible for recognising and removing oxidised proteins. Identifying where this process goes wrong in heart disease will be a key factor in enabling us to develop strategies to limit damage to our arteries.

Current Projects

Investigation of the cellular mechanisms for the removal of damaged proteins.

A mouse model of plaque rupture.

Incorporation of levodopa into cell proteins in vivo.