Immune cells and cardiometabolic disease

Our team studies the role of immune cells in cardiometabolic disease. More specifically, our research focuses on both macrophages and T cells and how they are implicated in different cardiometabolic pathologies such as obesity-associated inflammation and its connection with development of insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes, as well as the involvement of these immune cells in atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and cardiomyopathy. The role of members of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) family, in particular PPARβ, in this context has been one of our main research interests. The role of these nuclear receptors in different aspects of immune cell biology (e.g. metabolism and polarization), in the context of cardiometabolic disease, has been a major research subject for us.

One of our more recent and current research interests focuses on vascular calcification (VC) and the role of macrophages, T cells, and PPAR members in VC development. One of the approaches that we use in this context is the application of artificial intelligence to patient data (imaging combined with biological and clinical characteristics) to develop predictive models of VC progression and post-operative outcomes.

To explore our research interests, we combine different approaches including in vitro cell biology, in vivo mouse models, ex vivo patient samples, clinical studies, and artificial intelligence. The strong presence of clinical members in our team has allowed us to develop different sample collections from patients suffering from atherosclerotic plaques in their carotid arteries, abdominal aortic aneurysms, or myocardial infarctions.