Special Episode - Beyond the Plaque: How Energy Metabolism Shapes Heart Disease

Jack Cowan from the University of Ottawa interviews Dr. Morgan Fullerton, a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, on behalf of his team in the TMM4950 Science Communication course. Dr. Fullerton discusses dysregulated cholesterol metabolism, a hallmark of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. He delves into his lab’s recent study examining whether AMPK, the cell’s energy sensor, truly protects against atherosclerosis by limiting cholesterol production, where his team made an unexpected discovery that challenged long-standing assumptions in cardiovascular research.Learn more: https://www.fullertonlab.com/0:00 | Introduction1:34 | Introduction of guest (Dr. Morgan Fullerton)2:35 | What is atherosclerosis?4:05 | The cell's energy sensor (AMPK)5:25 | Targeting AMPK|HMGCR to protect against atherosclerosis7:42 | What was expected when AMPK's control was removed?8:32 | Importance of validating a disease model10:25 | Does removing AMPK change atherosclerosis?12:53 | Future therapies13:52 | Commentary (provided by Dr. Emily Day) and conclusion Music is non-copyrighted and free for use.Jack Cowan (Host), Toshka Besharah (Writer), Melissa Barnett (Producer)