Investigating how environmental pollutants affect heart disease risk
Official title: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, apolipoproteins, and risk of coronary heart disease
Funded at Brigham and Women's Hospital · NIH-11075864 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how certain chemicals found in the environment might affect heart health, specifically how they could influence cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease, and it invites people to share their health information and blood samples to help with this important research.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | April 16, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $702,691 |
| NIH project number | 5R01ES036206-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11075864 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research include individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds who may have been exposed to PFAS and are at risk for coronary heart disease.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who have no exposure to PFAS or who do not have risk factors for coronary heart disease may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research explores the relationship between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). It aims to understand how these environmental pollutants may disrupt the metabolism of specific lipoproteins associated with heart disease. By analyzing data from diverse U.S. cohorts, the study will conduct both cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations to clarify the connections between PFAS exposure, lipoprotein levels, and CHD risk. Patients may be asked to provide blood samples and health information to contribute to this important research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to better understanding and prevention strategies for coronary heart disease linked to environmental pollutants.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown associations between environmental pollutants and cardiovascular health, but this research aims to provide novel insights into specific mechanisms involving lipoproteins.
Where this research is happening
-
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sun, Qi — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Sun, Qi
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Pay-what-you-can cafes and heart health in people with high blood pressure and food insecurity
This project tests whether eating at pay-what-you-can cafes improves blood pressure and heart- disease related outcomes for hypertensive adults who face food insecurity.
-
Apolipoprotein Proteoforms and Heart Health
This grant aims to understand how different chemical changes to apolipoproteins relate to cholesterol, obesity, insulin resistance, and risk of heart disease in people.
-
Metal exposures and heart disease: how genes and mixtures shape risk
A large study from NYU aims to understand how exposure to arsenic and other metals, together with genetic factors, influence the risk of coronary heart disease in diverse adults.
-
How stress-linked gene changes may raise heart disease risk
This project looks at whether stress-related chemical changes on DNA in blood immune cells help explain higher heart disease risk in people exposed to chronic psychosocial stress.
-
Genetic clues to blood fats and heart disease progression
Researchers are studying how genetic differences affect blood lipid levels and heart disease risk so doctors can tailor prevention for people at different ages.
-
PFAS chemicals, blood lipoproteins, and coronary heart disease risk
Researchers will look at whether common environmental chemicals called PFAS are linked to specific blood lipoproteins and higher risk of coronary heart disease in adults.
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.