MAE-WEST HBF: Understanding microvascular aging in aging women and its link to heart, brain, and frailty
Official title: The Microvascular Aging Effects - Women's Evaluation of Systemic aging Tenacity in Heart, Brain and Frailty (MAE-WEST HBF) ("You are never too old to become younger!")
Funded at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · NIH-11411307 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large cancer-agnostic grant aims to understand how aging-related tiny blood vessel problems and iron buildup in women affect heart health, brain health, cognition, and frailty.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,497,984 |
| NIH project number | 5U54AG094168-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11411307 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are women at risk for or showing signs of microvascular aging, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, cerebral small vessel disease, cognitive changes, or frailty.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without the targeted vascular or cognitive concerns or those not willing to participate in tissue biopsies or longitudinal follow-up may have limited benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on aging women to study tiny vessel (microvascular) injury and related inflammation, including iron deposition, and how these changes relate to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, cerebral small vessel disease, cognitive decline, and dementia. The team will use deep phenotyping and end-organ function measures, including tissue biopsies, in a predominantly female clinical cohort. The work builds on prior findings and aims to uncover mechanisms that cause aging-related brain and heart changes, with potential paths toward new interventions. The study is centered at Cedars-Sinai and led by Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz, aiming to translate insights into women's health improvements.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to better prevention, earlier diagnosis, and targeted treatments for heart and brain aging and related dementia in women.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies suggest microvascular injury and inflammation play a role in aging-related diseases; this project extends those findings in a focused female population.
Where this research is happening
-
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bairey Merz, Cathleen Noel — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Bairey Merz, Cathleen Noel
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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.