New Frontiers in Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Diseases
Apotex Centre, Room 050
750 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
July 7-9, 2025
Gary Lopaschuk Memorial Lecture
Dr. Gary Lopaschuk was a Professor in Pediatrics and Pharmacology, and Scientific Director of Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute at the University of Alberta. A Fellow of Royal Society of Canada and a global leader in cardiac metabolism, Dr. Lopaschuk had graciously agreed to deliver a keynote lecture at this conference before his passing. In his memory and in recognition of his pioneering contributions to cardiovascular research, the Gary Lopaschuk Memorial Lecture has been established and will be delivered by Dr. John Ussher, Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta and a leading expert in pharmacotherapy of energy metabolism.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Yu Huang is Jeanie Hu Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Chair professor of Biomedical Sciences and Vascular Biology and head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction associated with hypertension, obesity and diabetes. He is an internationally renowned leader in cardiovascular research and has published over 500 papers in prestigious journals including Nature and Science.
Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum is a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiology, and Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre. Renowned globally for his expertise, Dr. Kirshenbaum is a leading authority in the study of cell death and autophagy and their roles in heart disease.
Click here for Registration and Abstract Submission
Conference Co-Chairs: Dr. Dake Qi (Pharmacy) and Dr. Garry Shen (Medicine), University of Manitoba
Local organizers: Dr. Jiming Kong (Anatomy and Cell Biology), Dr. Michael Czubryt (Physiology and Pathophysiology), and Dr. Sanjiv Dhingra (Physiology and Pathophysiology), University of Manitoba
Organizing Committee Members: Tianqing Peng and Qingping Feng (Western University), Ren-Ke Li and Burton Yang (U of Toronto), Dake Qi and Garry Shen (U of Manitoba), Guangdong Yang (Laurentian U), Dawei Zhang (U of Alberta), Ying Wang and Hong-Lin Luo (UBC), Xi-Long Zheng (U of Calgary), Wenbin Liang (U of Ottawa), Bernardo Trigatti (McMaster U).
Preliminary Conference Program
Monday, July 7, 2025
7:30 – 9:00 AM Conference Registration, and Poster Setup
Breakfast
9:00 – 9:15 AM Opening Remarks
Dr. Dake Qi, University of Manitoba
Dr. Bernardo Trigatti, President of CSATVB, McMaster University
Dr. Qingping Feng, President of ACRE Canada, Western University
9:15 – 9:20 AM Dr. Jude Uzonna, Vice Dean of Research, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
SESSION I: Cell functions and heart disease
Co-Chairs: Tianqing Peng and Dake Qi
9:20 – 9:40 PM Wnt signaling and cardiac remodeling: ion channels and beyond
Dr. Wenbin Liang, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
9:40 – 10:00 PM Multiplex imaging of human coronary lesions defines the phenotype of macrophages with impaired phagocytic activity
Dr. Ying Wang, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
10:00 – 10:20 PM BRD4 in vascular aging: Understanding the epigenetic control of smooth muscle function
Dr. Xi-Long Zheng, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
10:20 – 10:40 PM Unraveling the mechanism of myocarditis: Viral manipulation of autophagy
Dr. Honglin Luo, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
10:40 – 11:10 AM Refreshment Break and Trainee Poster Presentation
SESSION II: Development, Cardiac Injury and Regeneration
Co-Chairs: Wenbin Liang and Yaozu Xiang
11:10 – 11:30 AM Maternal environment in embryonic heart development: Role of eNOS
Dr. Qingping Feng, Western University, ON, Canada
11:30 – 11:50 AM Cardiac stem cell therapy: Still a long road to go
Dr. Sanjiv Dhingra, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
11:50 – 12:10 PM TBA
TBA
12:10 – 12:30 PM Type-dependent differences in cardiovascular remodeling under mechanical overload: A comparative study
Dr. Jian Wu, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
12:30 – 2:00 PM Box lunch and trainee poster presentation
SESSION III: Trainee Oral Presentations
Co-Chairs: Dawei Zhang and Ying Wang
2:00 – 2:15 PM TBA
2:15 – 2:30 PM TBA
2:30 – 2:45 PM TBA
2:45 – 3:00 PM TBA
3:00 – 3:15 PM TBA
3:15 – 4:00 PM Refreshment Break and Trainee Poster Presentation
SESSION IV: Keynote Presentation I
Chair: Dr. Ren-Ke Li
4:00 – 4:40 PM Circadian dependent regulation of cellular quality control mechanisms in the heart
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, University of Manitoba, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
4:40 – 5:30 PM Trainee poster presentation
6:00 – 9:00 PM Buffet dinner
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
SESSION V: Keynote Presentation II
Chair: Dr. Garry Shen
9:00 – 9:40 PM Shear stress and vascular inflammation
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Yu Huang, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
SESSION VI: Trainee Oral Presentations
Co-Chairs: Guangdong Yang and Sanjiv Dhingra
9:40 – 9:55 AM TBA
9:55 – 10:10 AM TBA
10:10 – 10:25 AM TBA
10:25 – 10:40 AM TBA
10:40 – 11:10 AM Refreshment Break and Trainee Poster Presentation
SESSION VII: Smooth muscle and vascular diseases
Co-Chairs: Samantha Pauls and Heyu Ni
11:10 – 11:30 AM H2S regulation of iron homeostasis in smooth muscle cells
Dr. Guangdong Yang, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
11:30 – 11:50 AM Interplay of scleraxis and AngII regulates vascular smooth muscle phenotype and blood vessel structure
Dr. Michael Czubryt, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
11:50 – 12:10 PM Activation of endothelial Nrf2 prevents atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice by inhibiting inflammation and lipid peroxidation
Dr. Cheng-Lin Zhang, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, China
12:10 – 12:30 PM Using PAR2 pathway-biased agonists to target specific endothelium-dependent vascular smooth muscle relaxation mechanisms in mouse arteries
Dr. John McGuire, Western University, London, ON, Canada
12:30 – 2:00 PM Box Lunch and Trainee Poster Presentation
SESSION VIII: Inflammation and metabolism
Co-Chairs: Michael Czubryt and Xi-Long Zheng
2:00 – 2:20 PM Impact of high nutrient loads and omega-3 fatty acids on monocyte metabolism and function
Dr. Samantha Pauls, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
2:20 – 2:40 PM HMOX1-LDHB interaction promotes ferroptosis by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction in foamy macrophages during advanced atherosclerosis
Dr. Jinwei Tian, Harbin Medical University, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, Harbin, China
2:40 – 3:00 PM Heart under stress: The impact of gestational diabetes on mitochondrial protein acetylation
Dr. Vernon Dolinsky, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
3:00 – 3:20 PM Gut hormones in the regulation of intestinal lipids
Dr. Changting Xiao, University of Saskatchewan, SK, Canada
3:20 – 4:00 PM Refreshment Break and Trainee Poster Presentation
SESSION IX: Potential therapeutic strategies for cardiac diseases
Co-Chairs: Honglin Luo and Qingping Feng
4:00 – 4:20 PM Strategies for rebalancing hematopoiesis against myocardial infarction and heart failure
Dr. Yaozu Xiang, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
4:20 – 4:40 PM STAT3 signaling in conditioning cardioprotection in normal and functionally impaired heart
Dr. Zhengyuan Xia, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
4:40 – 5:00 PM TBA
TBA
5:00 – 5:20 PM Consideration of Perioperative management of end-stage heart disease: from evidence-based medicine to clinical practice
Dr. Sheng Wang, Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
5:20 – 6:00 PM Trainee Poster Presentation
6:00 – 9:00 PM Conference dinner
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
SESSION X: Gary Lopaschuk Memorial Lecture
Chair: Vernon Delinsky
9:00 – 9:50 AM The Role of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase & Glucose Oxidation in Cardiovascular Disease: A Tribute to Dr. Gary Lopaschuk
Dr. John Ussher, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
9:50 – 10:30 AM Refreshments break and Trainee Poster Presentation
SESSION XI: Potential therapeutic strategies for vascular diseases
Co-Chairs: Changting Xiao and Zhengyuan Xia
10:30 – 10:50 AM Control of Heart Attack and Stroke – developing novel anti-platelet therapy against atherothrombosis
Dr. Heyu Ni, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
10:50 – 11:10 AM Anti-atherosclerotic effect and mechanism of Tripterygium wilfordii
Dr. Li Qin, Hunan University of Traditional Medicine, Changsha, China
11:10 – 11:30 AM Vascular protection in atherosclerosis: unveiling the potential of traditional Chinese medicine
Dr. Guanwei Fan, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
11:30 – 11:50 AM The influence of Saskatoon berry intake on metabolism and vascular function in healthy humans: relationship with gut microbiota and short chain fatty acids
Dr. Garry Shen, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
11:50 – 12:20 PM Trainee Presentation Award Ceremony
Group Photo of Awardees
12:20 – 12:30 PM Closing Remarks
Dr. Gary Shen, University of Manitoba
Dr. Ren-Ke Li, President-Elect, ACRE Canada
12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch
1:30 – 2:30 PM ACRE Canada business meeting
2:30 PM Conference ends