MICROHEART: Linking Microplastic Exposure to Endothelial Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Disease

(a) Scientific basis and translational relevance:
Microplastics are increasingly detected in human blood and cardiovascular tissues, but whether they contribute to cardiovascular disease or simply reflect environmental exposure remains unclear. This is particularly relevant to East London, where cardiovascular disease and environmental exposures contribute to health inequalities. MICROHEART will connect microplastics detected in cardiovascular samples with laboratory experiments to determine whether particles relevant to human exposure damage blood vessels. This could identify harmful microplastic characteristics and biological processes relevant to future prevention and risk assessment.

(b) Techniques and skills:
The student will learn established contamination-controlled techniques for processing human samples and use infrared imaging to measure microplastic abundance, size and polymer type. Complementary gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) will provide further polymer and chemical characterisation. Using established human endothelial cell models (the cells lining blood vessels), the student will investigate whether microplastics reduce the blood vessel’s normal protective functions, make its lining more permeable and inflamed, and increase the attachment of platelets involved in blood clotting. They will also receive hands-on training on a state-of-the-art in-house proteomics system, enabling thousands of proteins to be measured simultaneously to uncover how microplastics alter blood vessel cells and which biological processes may be responsible. Training will include statistical and computational data analysis.

(c) Overarching aim:
To determine whether microplastics relevant to human exposure damage cells lining blood vessels and identify how this could contribute to cardiovascular disease.

(d) Specific, measurable objectives:
Year 1: undertake specialist training in established contamination-controlled microplastic analysis; apply and quality-control these methods to an initial set of cardiovascular samples to determine microplastic abundance, size and polymer type; use these findings to select representative microplastics for laboratory studies; and establish exposure conditions using existing endothelial cell models and functional assays.
Year 2: determine how selected microplastics affect blood-vessel cells and use proteomics to identify candidate mechanisms.
Year 3: experimentally test the strongest mechanisms, investigate platelet attachment and integrate human and laboratory findings.
Year 4: complete validation and data integration; prepare publications and thesis; and identify findings relevant to future prevention and risk assessment.