The 'Protein Rust' That May Clog Blood Vessels — and the Antibody That Could Clear It
Think of the pipes in an old house. Over time, iron rusts, the pipes weaken, and water flows less freely. Professor Newman Sze at Brock University in Canada looks at the proteins in our blood vessels in much the same way — and he calls the damage they suffer "protein rust".
Sze, a Professor of Health Sciences and Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Health and Disease, is investigating how this slow damage to proteins may lead to heart disease, stroke and dementia. His work, announced on 5 November 2026, is backed by more than $368,000 from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
How proteins rust
Proteins are the working parts of the body: they build tissue, carry messages and keep blood vessels strong and flexible. But everyday chemical reactions — the kind triggered by oxidative stress, an inactive lifestyle, an unhealthy diet, various stresses and our genes — gradually damage them. These reactions are part of why we age, and they sit behind many age-related diseases.
Proteins inside cells have repair crews that fix or remove the damage. Proteins outside cells, including those in the walls of blood vessels, have far fewer repair systems. So the damage builds up over the years. As Sze explains, this "protein rust" can irritate the surrounding tissue and cause inflammation. Over time, the weakened, inflamed vessels may contribute to heart disease and stroke.
In the brain, the same damage may weaken the blood-brain barrier — the protective layer of cells lining the brain's blood vessels that keeps harmful substances out and helps clear waste away. If that barrier is damaged, harmful substances may enter more easily and waste may build up, contributing to brain damage and dementia.
Teaching the immune system to clear it
Sze's team is not only studying the problem. They have also made an antibody — a molecule designed to help the immune system find and clear away one type of damaged protein, known as isoDGR. The antibody, called isoDGR-mAb, is designed to boost the immune system's ability to spot and remove the abnormal molecules.
Early results from animal models showed that the antibody successfully stimulated the immune system to clear the damaged proteins from tissues. With the new funding, the team will now test whether it preserves the integrity of arteries, reduces inflammation in plaques and protects the blood-brain barrier — the groundwork for a possible future treatment for conditions affecting the heart, brain and blood circulation. Sze has filed patent protection for the antibody technology and is working with biopharmaceutical researchers to develop it further.
It is important to be clear about where this stands: this is early-stage research, not a treatment people can receive today. The team first needs to validate its earlier work identifying the precise molecules and chemical reactions behind protein deterioration, and the antibody still has to be tested far more before it could ever reach patients. But the idea behind it is a hopeful one. As Sze puts it: "If we can understand why these damaged proteins accumulate and how they contribute to disease, we may be able to develop approaches to guide our immune system to find and remove the damages rather than treating symptoms caused by these damages."
For students, this is a vivid example of how biology, chemistry and medicine meet: a simple everyday image — rust in a pipe — helps explain a slow chemical process inside the body, and a carefully designed molecule may one day turn the body's own defences against it.
If your child is curious about how the body works, or how scientists turn an idea into a possible treatment, a first lesson in science can start with this story of rust, blood vessels and the immune system. Book your first lesson
Sources:
- Brock University, "Canada Research Chair investigating how 'protein rust' may lead to heart disease and stroke", 5 November 2026: https://brocku.ca/media-room/2026/11/05/canada-research-chair-investigating-how-protein-rust-may-lead-to-heart-disease-and-stroke/
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