2008 Age Plus Prize Winner

Debby Koonen
University of Alberta
CD36 expression contributes to age-induced cardiomyopathy in mice

A decline in heart function is typically observed with aging and can negatively impact the quality of life of the elderly. Understanding the origin and development of age-related cardiac dysfunction is vital for improving the care of this growing patient population. In her study, Dr. Koonen identified a key protein important in maintaining lipid balance in heart cells (the fatty acid transport protein CD36) as mediator of the multiple alterations underlying the aged heart.

Dr. Koonen and her colleagues subjected both young and old mice with and without the gene coding for CD36 to treadmill running tests and echocardiography, which mimics diagnostic procedures applied to human patients in the clinic. They then assessed heart metabolism using the isolated working heart perfusion model, a technique often used in research that allows researchers to directly measure cardiac function without the complications of using an intact animal model. The outcome was that heart function was enhanced and lipid levels improved (lowered) in older mice without CD36, compared to normal older mice.

The results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the natural process of aging and the accompanying development of cardiac dysfunction and excessive growth of the heart. In addition, the results support the notion that optimizing cardiac energy metabolism may represent a treatment that can improve cardiac performance in the aged patient.

Dr. Koonen graduated from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and then joined Dr. Jason Dyck's Lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow. There she developed a sophisticated set of molecular and physiological techniques to adequately study concerns and diseases as an independent researcher. Currently in summer 2008, she is completing her postdoctoral degree and then plans to become an independent researcher studying the cardiovascular complications that arise from obesity.