The Experimental Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis (ETA) Program, conducts fundamental research on the interplay between thrombosis, atherosclerosis, diabetes, cancer, and inflammation.

Heart attacks and strokes are the number one cause of death and disability in Canada and world-wide.  Most heart attacks and strokes are caused by blood clots that form on top of disrupted atherosclerotic plaques in the heart or brain arteries.  Abnormal blood clotting or thrombosis can also occur in the deep veins of the leg.  Deep vein thrombosis causes leg pain and swelling.  More importantly, pieces of the clot can break off and travel to the lungs where they lodge in the pulmonary arteries as pulmonary emboli.  Such emboli can be fatal.

Why does thrombosis occur, how can we prevent it, and if it does occur, how can we best treat it?  These are some of the questions that are being addressed at the Thrombosis & Atherosclerosis Research Institute.  Using a bench-to-bedside approach, we are exploring the complex interplay among genetic, environmental and stochastic factors that impair vascular health and trigger thrombosis.

Click on an image to find out more about their research.