# Imaging organ system interfaces in ischemic heart disease

> **NIH NIH R35** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2024 · $965,223

## Abstract

In this application, I propose to work on sensing and understanding innate immunity in ischemic heart disease.
I will ask the overarching question how cardiovascular disease, and more specifically the risk factor
hypertension, affects hematopoiesis, i.e. innate immune cell production, in the bone marrow. I propose to
tackle two major goals: 1. to develop and validate fundamental science and translational imaging tools that
provide in vivo data on bone marrow hematopoiesis, including intravital microscopy and positron emission
tomography/magnetic resonance imaging; 2. to decipher how ischemic heart disease disease alters bone
marrow function, and the organ's output of inflammatory immune cells. My immediate focus will be the bone
marrow vasculature. This focus is motivated by the influence of the vascular stem cell niche, which instructs
hematopoietic stem cell proliferation, progenitor lineage bias and leukocyte migration. At the same time, the
bone marrow vasculature is part of the systemic circulation, and therefore exposed to cardiovascular risk and
disease-promoting pathways. It is unknown if and how bone marrow vasculature changes in ischemic heart
disease, and how these changes modulate systemic innate immune cell supply. Motivated by evidence that
systemic leukocyte levels correlate with cardiovascular mortality, I will address this knowledge gap with the
ultimate goal to discover new therapeutic targets for patients with atherosclerosis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10767822
- **Project number:** 5R35HL139598-07
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthias Nahrendorf
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $965,223
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-02-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10767822

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10767822, Imaging organ system interfaces in ischemic heart disease (5R35HL139598-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10767822. Licensed CC0.

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