Neutrophils and vascular aging in large blood vessels
Official title: Neutrophils play a pivotal role in vascular aging
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11507583 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-facing look at how certain immune cells (neutrophils) may drive stiffness and damage in aging arteries, potentially influencing heart and brain health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | March 22, 2023 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $203,878 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HL168560-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11507583 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with aging-related vascular risks who might benefit from therapies targeting neutrophil activity in the vasculature.
✕Less likely to help
This research is preclinical in animals and does not involve treating individual patients directly.
What this research studies
This research looks at how a specific enzyme from neutrophils, neutrophil elastase, may start and worsen stiffness and inflammation in aging arteries, especially in the context of obesity. The study uses aging mice, compares those with and without the enzyme, and examines how blood vessel walls become leaky or fibrotic over time. Findings could reveal targets to slow vascular aging and reduce related complications. The work is rooted in understanding mechanisms that could eventually translate to therapies for humans with vascular aging risks.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide new strategies to prevent or treat arterial stiffness and its complications in aging adults.
How similar studies have gone: Previous data show that neutrophil activity can affect vascular health, supporting potential translational relevance, but human therapies are still in early stages.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jiang, Zhen Yue — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Jiang, Zhen Yue
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Aging Well with HIV: Alcohol, Risk Reduction, and Education Center (AWAR3E)
A center at Yale is exploring how aging with HIV interacts with alcohol use to create inflammation and frailty, with the goal of finding biomarkers and potential treatments.
-
Cognitive SuperAging: Exploring why some octogenarians stay sharp in memory
This NIH grant studies why a small group of people aged 80+ keep memory skills as good as much younger people, hoping to understand how to protect memory as we age.
-
Biological aging across the lifespan through a national high school-to-adult study
This grant uses a long-running national study of students and adults to collect saliva biomarkers of aging, alongside surveys, to understand how aging markers relate to health and life experiences.
-
Understanding how aging and Alzheimer’s affect how people make tough choices
This NIH grant studies how aging and Alzheimer’s risk change how people decide between immediate and delayed rewards and risky options, with the goal of helping older adults stay financially and healthwise safer.
-
Understanding how brain resilience and multiple brain pathologies influence aging and Alzheimer's disease
A long-term study follows older adults to learn how resilience to brain changes helps reduce dementia risk and what biological factors are linked to better cognitive aging.
-
National Neighborhood Data Archive helps researchers study aging health in U.S. neighborhoods
A nationwide data resource will help researchers understand how where people live affects health and aging, with a focus on respiratory illnesses in older 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.