Curt Sigmund, Ph.D., professor and DEO of pharmacology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, has been awarded a four-year, $2.48 million grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to study a molecular pathway that appears to protect blood vessels from damage caused by cardiovascular stressors, including high-fat diet and aging.

The pathway involves PPAR gamma, a critical protein in the endothelium, the innermost lining of the blood vessel. The research aims to understand the interaction between PPAR gamma and another protein called retinol binding protein 7 (RBP7), which the researchers think may support the beneficial effects of PPAR gamma in the endothelium.