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Feature grant: researchers investigate why women on hemodialysis are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease


June 5, 2019

Drs. Dylan Burger and Marcel Ruzicka Drs. Dylan Burger and Marcel Ruzicka Drs. Dylan Burger and Marcel Ruzicka were awarded $48,000 to find out why women on hemodialysis seem to be at greater risk of cardiovascular disease. This Translational Research Grant was funded by the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute ($20,000), the Department of Medicine ($20,000) and the Division of Nephrology ($8,000) in November 2018. The team previously discovered that microparticles shed by injured or activated cells can damage the lining of blood vessels, a common early event in cardiovascular disease. They also found that women on hemodialysis had twice as many microparticles in their blood as men on hemodialysis. In this new study, the researchers will measure microparticle levels in 80 patients on hemodialysis to validate these findings. Then the team will test these microparticles in the lab to see what effect they have on blood vessels. Over the last four years, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute has provided more than $275,000 in matching funds for partnership grants with the Department of Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine and TOHAMO. This is possible because of fundraising events like THE RIDE and unrestricted donations to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. 

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Media Contact

Amelia Buchanan
Senior Communication Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73687
Cell: 613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca


 

Scientific Program tags: Inflammation and Chronic Disease Program