Hong Chen, PhD, FAHA
Professor, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School and Principal Investigator, Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children’s Hospital

Host: Dr. Kezhong Zhang

“Endocytic Control of Atherosclerosis: Epsins, Vascular Inflammation, and Therapeutic Opportunity”

Abstract

Atherosclerosis arises from coordinated dysfunction of endothelial, immune, and metabolic pathways, yet the intracellular trafficking mechanisms that connect these processes remain incompletely understood. Our work has identified epsins, a family of endocytic adaptor proteins, as key regulators of atherogenesis. Using conditional mouse models, single-cell approaches, and translational targeting strategies, we have shown that epsins promote endothelial inflammatory signaling, endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and macrophage foam-cell formation, thereby accelerating plaque progression. In this seminar, I will discuss how cell type-specific epsin pathways shape vascular remodeling and inflammation, and how targeting endocytic machinery may open new therapeutic avenues for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.