WEHI Inflammation Special Seminar hosted by Dr Georgia Atkin-Smith

Amy Baxter, PhD

Heart Foundation L1 Future Leader Fellow

Head, Vascular Cell Death, Clearance & Inflammation Lab

Division Lead, Dying Cell Communication & Clearance

Centre for Cardiovascular Biology & Disease Research

La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science

Department of Biochemistry & Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment

Assistant Treasurer, Australian Atherosclerosis Society

La Trobe University
 

Afterlife in the endothelium: Targeting efferocytosis in vascular diseases

 

Davis Auditorium
Join via TEAMS
Including Q&A session

Efferocytosis – the clearance of dying cells by phagocytes—is essential for tissue homeostasis and is impaired during atherosclerosis, where excessive death of macrophages and endothelial cells is coupled with impaired clearance mechanisms. Using ‘BELMO’, a transgenic mouse model of enhanced efferocytosis, we demonstrate that boosting efferocytosis in myeloid cells reduces plaque development throughout the aorta of atherosclerotic mice, highlighting efferocytosis as an attractive therapeutic target in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In addition to the role of myeloid cells in driving efferocytosis in vascular tissue, whether endothelial cells (ECs) also participate in efferocytosis under physiological or pathological conditions, is poorly characterised. Using a range of imaging and flow-based methods, our findings demonstrate that ECs are efficient phagocytes in vitro and in vivo. To assess the downstream consequences of EC efferocytosis, RNAseq and functional validation studies were performed, revealing a tissue repair phenotype in engulfing ECs characterised by increased energy metabolism, nutrient transport, cell proliferation and phagocytic capacity. These findings suggest that ECs contribute actively to the clearance of apoptotic cells and may help restore vascular integrity by integrating engulfed material and initiating repair programs. Enhancing EC efferocytosis may thus offer a novel therapeutic approach to promote vessel repair in cardiovascular disease

Dr Amy Baxter is a National Heart Foundation L1 Future Leader Fellow at La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University (Melbourne, Australia). She completed her PhD in 2017 with Prof Mark Hulett within the department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, investigating protein-phospholipid membrane interactions in the anticancer mechanism of host defense peptides. She then received an NHMRC Peter Doherty Early Career Fellowship (2018-2021) which she completed with Prof Ivan Poon, investigating the roles of dying cell-derived extracellular vesicles in inflammatory diseases. In 2022, Dr Baxter was awarded a La Trobe University Tracey Banivanua Mar Research Fellowship (2022-2025) enabling establishment of the Vascular Cell Death, Clearance & Inflammation laboratory. Since 2022, she has also led the ‘Dying Cell Communication & Clearance’ division of La Trobe’s Centre for Cardiovascular Biology & Disease Research. Her team now investigates the mechanisms and functions of cell death and clearance (efferocytosis) by vascular cells. Using a combination of cell-based and in vivo approaches, her team examines the effects of boosting efferocytosis on tissue repair in preclinical models of vascular diseases including atherosclerosis, diabetes and stroke. Dr Baxter’s research has been acknowledged through numerous prestigious awards including Australian Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Fred Collins Award (2020), National Heart Foundation Shirley E Freeman Innovation Award (2025) and Australian Vascular Biology Society Achievement and Career Development Award (2025).

All welcome!