Sex differences in heart macrophages and how they affect the heart in pulmonary hypertension
Official title: Sex Differences in Cardiac Macrophages in Response to Pulmonary Hypertension
Funded at University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11404008 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how male and female heart macrophages behave differently in a type of high blood pressure in the lungs, to understand why women often have better heart outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $163,145 |
| NIH project number | 5K08HL175217-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11404008 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension or those at risk, and clinicians interested in how sex differences affect heart remodeling.
✕Less likely to help
The study is conducted in animals and cellular models; direct benefits to individual PAH patients may take longer to materialize.
What this research studies
The project aims to uncover how macrophages in the right side of the heart respond to pulmonary hypertension and contribute to sex-specific differences in heart function. It builds on findings that macrophages influence the heart’s tissue remodeling and that estrogen can modulate these effects. Researchers will use mouse models and single-cell RNA sequencing to compare male and female cardiac macrophages, focusing on extracellular matrix and collagen pathways. By connecting immune cell changes to heart performance, the study hopes to reveal targets that could improve RV function in PAH patients across sexes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could lead to new approaches to protect heart function in PAH patients, with attention to sex-specific responses.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows macrophages influence right heart remodeling in PH; this study extends those findings to sex differences and human relevance.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado Denver
Aurora, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gu, Sue — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Gu, Sue
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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.