Tamara Bidone, PhD, and colleagues created a proposal titled, ARTERIONGENESIS IN TRANSLATION (ARTIST) that has been awarded an $8.5 million grant from the International Networks of Excellence in Cardiovascular and Neurovascular Research Program (Leducq Foundation). This proposal was introduced to research solutions and treatments for Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) which is a leading cause of morbidity, limb amputation, and mortality.
The Leducq Organization aims to improve human health by fighting cardiovascular and neurovascular disease internationally. Leducq stives to foster global collaboration and innovation within their scientific research in order to better the lives of those affected by these diseases. Each of their networks include two coordinators located on different continents and a couple of early career investigators working together to address a common thematic problem.
The ARTIST Network was built to address PAD and cultivate new treatments for patients. PAD arises when atherosclerosis narrows or blocks arteries supplying the limbs, and collateral vessels and capillaries fail to restore sufficient perfusion, leading to tissue ischemia (insufficient blood flow to a part of the body which causes a shortage of oxygen and nutrients). PAD patients are unable to handle these blockages as the processes to deal with such situations is impaired. In a normal circumstance, endothelial cells respond to increased fluid shear stress by triggering gene expression programs that promote arteriogenesis. The Artist Network strives to uncover why this process fails with PAD patients by utilizing several different techniques to uncover how blood vessels grow in response to blood flow.
Dr. Bidone will contribute to this collaborative effort by leading the all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations effort to uncover how endothelial adhesion proteins detect and respond to increased fluid shear stress through changes in their shape and dynamics which are important for downstream signaling. This will help to guide experiments, suggest targeted perturbations, and test specific mechanistic hypotheses about how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, contributing to the network’s integrated experimental and computational efforts.
This award is to be distributed over the next 5 years starting January 1st of 2026 and will be invaluably beneficial in the fight against peripheral artery disease.