NEW
YORK, June 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kathryn J. Moore, PhD, the Jean and David
Blechman Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine at
NYU Grossman School of Medicine, has been awarded the Lefoulon
Delalande Institut de France Grand Prize in Science (the Grand Prix
Scientifique) for 2024.
Moore, also director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at
NYU Langone Health, was honored for her answers to central
questions in the field of cardiovascular physiology, including, for
instance, how persistent activation of the immune system (chronic
inflammation) by excess cholesterol drives the development of
plaques in the arteries of patients with atherosclerosis.
The award is conferred annually by the Lefoulon-Delalande
Foundation at the Institut de France in various areas of medical science.
With a different theme each year (but often focused on cardiology),
the prize comes with a $650,000
award, making it the largest of its kind in cardiovascular
research.
Moore's research team discovered that the immune system
recognizes certain (oxidized) forms of cholesterol using signaling
proteins (receptors) designed to detect foreign invaders (e.g.
bacteria). This immune response sets off chronic inflammation of
the arteries that results in the formation of plaques, which
compromise arterial blood flow and can lead to heart attacks. Moore
and colleagues also showed that when immune system cells known as
macrophages engulf oxidized cholesterol, it can lead to the
formation of cholesterol crystals that sound an inflammatory alarm.
These intracellular cholesterol crystals trigger a protein group
called the NLRP3-inflammasome complex. This complex is responsible
for generating the potent pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1b,
whose inhibition has been shown in clinical trials to reduce risk
of cardiovascular events.
"I am thrilled to receive this prize that honors the work
carried out by my research team over the last two decades," said
Moore. "It has been an honor to work with such talented trainees
and world-class colleagues in pursuit of answers to why chronic
inflammation develops in response to hyper-cholesterolemia and
drives cardiovascular diseases that place such a burden on millions
of patients globally."
In other work, Moore and colleagues revealed the role of a
molecule called netrin-1 in causing macrophages to accumulate in
atherosclerotic plaques and fat (adipose) tissue of obese
individuals to drive a vicious cycle of chronic inflammation,
insulin resistance, and cardiometabolic disease. Moore also made
discoveries on the role of tiny RNA molecules in regulating the
pathways that control cholesterol levels in cells and the
blood.
She showed that these "microRNAs" can repress the pathways that
help cells rid themselves of excess cholesterol, resulting in the
accumulation of cholesterol-laden immune cells in plaques and the
development of atherosclerotic disease. Importantly, she found that
microRNAs, in particular miR-33, could be targeted therapeutically
to promote the normal balance of cholesterol in the body.
"The impact of Dr. Moore's work on both the current and
near-future of treatment for cardiovascular diseases is nothing
short of profound," said Glenn I.
Fishman, MD, director of the Leon H. Charney Division of
Cardiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "It is great to see
such an innovative and dedicated scientist be recognized in this
way," added Fishman, also vice chair for research for the
Department of Medicine.
"There is no better example than Dr. Moore of the kind of
exemplary scientist we seek to support at our institution," said
Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD, senior vice
president, vice dean for science, and chief scientific officer at
NYU Langone Health. "Congratulations to her and the entire
cardiology team."
Dr. Moore shares the award this year with Christopher Glass, MD, PhD, professor of
Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California at San Diego. Previous
awards recognizing Dr. Moore's research include in 2022 a
Gill Heart and Vascular Institute
Award, given each year to honor individuals who have made
outstanding contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine.
In 2021, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, among
the highest honors in the scientific field. Members of the
academy serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation" on
science, engineering, and medicine.
Lastly, in 2017, Dr. Moore received a $6.7 million "Outstanding Investigator Award"
from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the
National Institutes of Health. The award funded her work seeking to
determine the role of an unusual form of genetic material called
long noncoding RNA, or lncRNA. She found that this class of
molecules regulates the body's immune response to plaques, which
are made of cholesterol, fatty substances, and cellular waste that
blocks arteries. Understanding IncRNAs may lead to new treatment
approaches for cardiovascular diseases that remain the leading
cause of death worldwide, she says.
Contact: Gregory Williams,
gregory.williams@nyulangone.org
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SOURCE NYU Langone Health System