Breaking the wall of cardiovascular disease

PhD student Kleinberg Fernandez presents his research on a new and innovative treatment for heart disease.

Katie Willis - 20 September 2019

"In 2016, heart diseases became the number one cause of death in the world. That means 18 million deaths each year are due to a form of heart disease. Over time, one third of us will die from heart disease or a related condition," said Kleinberg Fernandez.

This is a problem that Fernandez, a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry, is hoping to solve with his research on the naturally occurring peptide, apelin.

"I'm working with a peptide, or small protein, called apelin, that could possibly be used as a treatment for cardiovascular diseases," said Fernandez, who is studying under the supervision of Professor John Vederas. While apelin naturally occurs in the human body, it is often under attack by enzymes that render it ineffective. In his research, Fernandez is focused on modifying apelin to make it more resilient and more potent.

"We are trying to increase the amount of time that apelin stays in our bloodstream, while also making it more effective by making some modifications to the naturally-occurring peptide," explained Fernandez. "It can be used as a preventative measure, as well as an acute treatment after an incident like a heart attack."

The research team, who already has one patent on the research, hopes to bring the modified apelin to market in the future as an oral medication.

For Fernandez, there's a personal connection to this research. "My grandfather is a father figure for me. He suffered a stroke almost 25 years ago. Our whole life has changed. When I told him about my project, he was very emotional and encouraging," he said. "That's what keeps me going through my PhD studies."

On September 18, Kleinberg Fernandez was one of 14 University of Alberta innovators to present their ideas at Falling Walls UAlberta-a Dragon's Den- and TEDtalk-style event to compete for two spots to a global finale in Berlin. Learn more about the Falling Walls UAlberta presenters who put their innovative ideas forward on September 18th.