Burgers, bacteria and heart disease with Dr Clett Erridge

Join ARU's Medical Technology Research Centre (MTRC) for an online seminar from Dr Clett Erridge about the molecular mechanisms that connect processed food consumption to foam cell formation and atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arteries that represents the root cause of the majority of heart attacks and strokes. However, the mechanisms responsible for triggering the two key processes that drive this pathology - namely inflammation and macrophage foam cell formation - remain poorly defined.

We have found that pro-inflammatory stimulants of innate immune receptors are far more abundant in many processed foods than in the microbiota of the healthy small intestine. Dietary studies have shown that ingestion of these molecules, at levels comparable to those found in the Western diet, results in significantly increased markers of systemic inflammation, atherogenic lipid profile and aortic atherosclerosis.

This talk will cover the background to this counter-intuitive pathway, and how the results of these studies point towards novel potential approaches to making foods healthier and lowering cardiovascular risk.

Contact MTRC@aru.ac.uk for more information.