PhD student Maristella Donato aims to uncover new knowledge on the link between diabetes and heart disease, paving the way for pharmacological treatments.
Diabetes is a Global Burden that Presents Myriad Health Risks
Heart Disease & Aortic Valve Calcification
Diabetic patients around the world face myriad health risks, from kidney damage to vision loss. For Maristella Donato, a PhD candidate based at the University of Padua in Italy, the risk of diabetic patients developing heart disease – particularly calcific aortic valve disease – is an urgent research question in need of further study and innovation.
“The relationship between diabetes and aortic valve calcification has been studied only very recently, and by few research groups,” Donato said. “We don’t know which molecular mechanisms are critical for the development and progression of the disease, or why some patients are more affected than others – or what can be targeted for potential pharmacological strategies.”
Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and its connection to heart disease is well established. Diabetes is considered an independent risk factor for developing calcific aortic valve disease, a condition affecting the aortic valve that drives blood flow from the heart to the circulatory system. As the disease progresses, the valve is not able to open and close correctly and requires substitution through surgery.
Need for Development of Approved Therapeutics
To date, there are no approved therapeutics for the prevention or treatment of aortic valve calcification – largely because the pathological underpinnings of the condition are poorly understood. Surgical replacement of the aortic valve remains the only available treatment strategy, and the procedure is associated with stringent indications and significant complications, limiting the number of patients who may be good candidates for surgery.
Research and Discovery With TaqMan Gene Expression Assays & Real-Time PCR
Fast, Straightforward and Reproducible Results
Donato’s lab seeks to understand the underlying science of aortic valve calcification in diabetic patients, bringing hope that new targets and treatments may be identified.
As part of her research, it was important for Donato to develop experimental models complex enough to mimic the disease, but simple enough to be reproduceable. To navigate this, she has developed an in vitro model of the condition using non-human primate cells. She uses the Applied Biosystems™ TaqMan Gene Expression Assays, real-time PCR technologies and other Applied Biosystems solutions to analyze how the cells change in reaction to different treatments. She has found the technology to be fast and straightforward – and it delivers reproducible results.
“I really appreciate that I can perform the whole experiment in a short amount of time, and I can analyze the results easily the same day,” Donato said.
Paving the Way for Therapeutics
By analyzing the cells in the in vitro model, the lab seeks to better understand how diabetes plays a role in the development and progression of this type of heart disease. Given that the connection is poorly understood, any new markers discovered or responses to pharmacologic agents would be a significant breakthrough. For a population of diabetic patients, this could pave the way for therapeutics and potentially prevent the need for surgical replacement of the valve.
For Donato, gaining new insight is a critical first step that could bring hope to many.
“Everyone knows someone in their family or group of friends who has been diagnosed with diabetes,” she said. “I’m convinced that discovering something new can have an impact on many people’s lives.”
Learn how Donato and other scientists around the world are advancing genetic research.