John McNeil, MD
The Jefferson Trust awarded John McNeil, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, a grant for $81,532 to study whether microplastics and forever chemicals are accumulating in human heart valves. This first-ever study will help researchers determine if these toxins are causing valvular atherosclerotic disease.
As a cardiac anesthesiologist, Dr. McNeil first became interested in microplastics when he read a New England Journal of Medicine study showing that patients who had plastic in their carotid atheromas had worse outcomes – heart attacks, stroke, and even mortality. “If we are going to reduce plastic exposure in medicine, the first step is awareness and concern – both among the public in general, and especially from healthcare providers,” said Dr. McNeil.
Plastics used in operating room
Our valves are incredible apparatuses that open and close at pressure over 40 million times a year, and valvular disease is on the rise in the U.S. This new research will focus on patients undergoing open heart valve surgery. Surgeons will excise their valves and then the research team will analyze them for plastic and forever chemical levels. Dr. McNeil said it’s rare to have access to human heart valves for research studies. “We will be able to examine human heart valves in partnership with our surgical colleague, Leora Yarboro, MD, an associate professor of cardiac surgery at UVA,” explained Dr. McNeil. The research team will also analyze serum levels of these substances and assess for exposure risk factors like plastic water bottle usage, microwaving plastic containers, among others.
In addition to Drs. McNeil and Yarboro, UVA collaborators on this study include interventional valve cardiologist John Saxon, MD; anesthesiologists Michael Mazzeffi MD, and Patrick Monette, MD; public health sciences student Joshua Rosenberg; several undergraduate engineering students; and Bryan Berger, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Bryan Berger, PhD
Dr. Berger’s lab uses biotechnology to solve important biomedical, environmental and industrial challenges. He serves as principal investigator for a major EPA STAR grant focused on detection and mitigation of forever chemicals in food, agriculture and water to protect human health. “In thinking about exposure risks through food, water and our environment, it is clear that microplastics and other materials pose just as much risk as forever chemicals. I’m excited to work with Dr. McNeil to mitigate these risk factors within the medical field,” stated Dr. Berger.
This fall, The Jefferson Trust awarded a total of $752,075 to eight new projects and programs across the University of Virginia, including this inspiring project spearheaded by Dr. McNeil and his colleagues. Read an overview about all the recently awarded projects on The Jefferson Trust website.
Filed Under: Research