How sleep and exercise may slow a heart disease risk linked to blood cell changes
Official title: Investigating how lifestyles selectively modify clonal hematopoiesis in atherosclerosis through immuno-metabolic reprogramming
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11447852 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This NIH grant explores whether lifestyle choices like sleep and exercise can slow harmful changes in blood cells that raise the risk of atherosclerosis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $839,536 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL182870-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11447852 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include people with or at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who are willing to consider sleep and exercise interventions or participate in related biomarker studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without CH-related risk factors or those unable to engage in sleep or exercise interventions may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how certain blood cell mutations, which can raise the risk of clogged arteries, respond to sleep disruption and physical activity in mice and what this means for heart health. They will use a mouse model of high-fat diet–driven atherosclerosis to see if sleep patterns and exercise alter the growth and behavior of mutant blood cells and their inflammation. The study also uses human data to support findings and aims to identify new targets for therapies that leverage lifestyle factors. If successful, this work could point to practical strategies to reduce heart disease risk by influencing immune cell behavior.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If the approach works, it could lead to lifestyle-based or targeted therapies to slow heart disease driven by clonal blood cell changes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows lifestyle factors can affect immune cell function and cardiovascular risk, but translating this to CH-related atherosclerosis is novel and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcalpine, Cameron Stuart — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Mcalpine, Cameron Stuart
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.