Otago biochemists secure HRC project grants to research treatments for stomach cancer and heart disease
Otago biochemists secure HRC project grants to research treatments for stomach cancer and heart disease
Two teams led by researchers in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago have secured three-year Health Research Council of New Zealand project grants to support their ongoing investigations into exciting new treatment ideas for two very different, and very serious diseases – hereditary diffuse gastric cancer and heart disease.
The little rascal – high heart disease risk
Oil droplets in water: lipids and water don’t mix.
We all know that eating too much bad food and not exercising puts us at risk of cardiovascular disease. But did you know there is another risk factor that increases the risk of heart disease in more than 1 in 5 people, that is determined by a person’s genetics, doesn’t respond to diet or exercise, and currently has no treatment?
This risk factor is a high level of lipoprotein(a) in the blood.
Lipoproteins are packages for carrying lipids (a fancy word for fats and oils) in the blood. Lipids do not mix well with water or blood, therefore they have to be packaged up with special proteins so they can be moved in the blood stream around the body. Continue reading
