Atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in Canada and worldwide. It develops when fat builds up in the arteries, forming plaques that restrict blood flow and can ultimately trigger heart attacks or strokes.
While scientists have long relied on animal- and cell-based models to study atherosclerosis, these models don’t always reflect what actually happens in the human body. To address this knowledge gap, Dr. Ying Wang and her research team have adopted a novel technique called multiplex imaging to validate previous findings in human tissues.
Multiplex imaging is a powerful technique developed for cancer research that allows scientists to closely examine many different cell types within a single tissue sample. Dr. Wang’s team applies multiplex imaging to study real human artery tissue samples, either healthy or atherosclerotic, from the Bruce McManus Cardiovascular Biobank at HLI.
With this technique, the team has shown that smooth muscle cells, the most common cells found in blood vessel walls, are key players in plaque development. This is different from the mainstream belief that human atherosclerosis is primarily driven by immune cells like macrophages. Further, Dr. Wang’s lab showed that there are signs of elevated inflammation in smooth muscle cells, such as the release of key factors (interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factors) that are known to propagate inflammation. This work supports previous findings made by other researchers and confirms that multiplex imaging can be applied to cardiovascular research as well.
The use of multiplex imaging could improve how we study and treat atherosclerosis in two ways:
- Improve translational research throughput: Multiplex imaging allows for simultaneous labeling of multiple markers, allowing researchers to characterize the plaque environment better, and making the most of the precious human samples.
- Contribute to the development of new cardiovascular therapies: Multiplex imaging can help connect multiple cellular characteristics with tissue morphologies, which is important for designing anti-inflammatory therapies for cardiovascular diseases.
Looking towards the future, the Wang lab will use multiplex imaging to improve upon their mechanistic insights of human atherosclerosis and its treatments. The new knowledge gained from human tissues will contribute to the development of new models for cardiovascular research to ensure the relevance of these models to human physiology.
Check out the full research article here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11255771/.
To learn more about Dr. Wang’s Research, please visit the lab website: https://wanglab.med.ubc.ca/
Dr. Ying Wang (second from the left, corresponding author and HLI investigator) and Maria Elishaev (first from the left, first author and HLI PhD Candidate) demonstrating multiplex imaging to Wang lab trainees.