Menopause, Heart Microvessels, and Women’s Health
Official title: Menopause Transition and Coronary Microvascular Disease
Funded at University of Florida · NIH-11366171 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research will explore why menopause increases risk for heart problems by studying tiny heart blood vessels and how they change in perimenopause and after menopause.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Gainesville, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $618,412 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AG094712-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11366171 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are women experiencing menopause-related symptoms or clinicians seeking better heart care strategies for women, in the future.
✕Less likely to help
People without menopause-related heart disease topics or without access to similar clinical trials may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will use mouse models to mimic menopause and study how small heart vessels function and remodel. They will measure coronary flow and analyze molecular changes to understand why blood flow to the heart declines during menopause. The goal is to find new therapies specifically for menopause-related coronary microvascular disease in women. Findings could point to targeted treatments that protect heart health during the menopause transition.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that specifically improve heart blood flow in women going through menopause.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data from mouse studies show reduced coronary flow in menopause models, with potential for targeted therapies, indicating promise but needing further validation.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Florida
Gainesville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Makino, Ayako — University of Florida
- Study coordinator: Makino, Ayako
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how vaginal tissue changes after menopause affect reproductive health
A research team is studying why the vaginal lining changes after menopause and how this affects health, with potential solutions to improve comfort and reduce infection risk for postmenopausal women.
-
Menopause, hormones, and Alzheimer’s disease: an in vivo perspective
This project explores how hormone therapy around menopause might influence the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in postmenopausal women.
-
PREMAP: Predictors of Menopause-Related Psychosis
A study to understand what factors predict psychosis that can occur during menopause, with a focus on women going through that transition.
-
How vaginal lipids, antioxidants, and protective molecules affect menopause-related genitourinary symptoms across races
Researchers are tracking vaginal and blood chemicals in postmenopausal women of different races to learn how lipid, antioxidant, and osmoprotectant molecules relate to genitourinary menopause symptoms.
-
Menopause, Hormone Therapy, and HIV Risk in Cervical M mucosa
This project looks at how menopause and menopause hormone therapy may change the immune guard in the cervix, potentially affecting HIV risk for aging women.
-
Menopause, brain health, and aging: how hormones shape risk for dementia
This project looks at how menopause and hormone therapy affect brain aging and dementia risk in women.
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.