As a seasoned clinician scientist, principal investigator and leader (e.g., former Chief of Cardiology and Director of Research for the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta), Professor Ed O'Brien has a wealth of experience in academic cardiovascular medicine. His career spans a continuum from fundamental vascular biology to interventional cardiology to his current focus on Heat Shock Protein 27 and post-menopausal vascular disease. The O'Brien laboratory has made important mechanistic insights into how HSP27 i) reduces atherogenesis by attenuating inflammation and lowering cholesterol / PCSK9 levels, and ii) improves vascular endothelial function / regeneration. The therapeutic potential for HSP27 vaccination (that capitalizes on a novel "immune-facilitated" signalling mechanism) to treat or prevent vascular and other chronic inflammatory disorders is the focus of Pemi31 Therapeutics, Inc., the company that he co-founded (see: https://pemi31therapeutics.com).
