Shedding New Light on an Old Disease: Investigating Mechanisms of Chronic Inflammation in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease

While thousands of Australians undergo aortic valve replacement every year, we understand very little about why and how Calcific Aortic Valve Disease (CAVD) occurs. This thesis explores causes of inflammation in CAVD by examining blood flow in a laboratory model, patient blood samples before and after valve replacement and aortic valve tissue removed during surgery. We identified a major role for T cells in the development of CAVD, suggesting that the immune system may contribute to valve disease. These findings may lead to development of new treatments to slow the progression of valve disease.