Mesia Moore Steed.

Remember that name, because chances are you're going to be hearing more about it as the Henderson native and Henderson County High graduate progresses in her profession.

Steed, who will turn 31 on June 22, is doing important research with implications for future preventive measures against heart disease and therapy of America's No. 1 killer. She's also playing a role that could lead more minority students into biomedical research.

The daughter of Carnie Moore and the Rev. Frankie Moore, Steed is a University of Louisville doctoral student who intends to build a career studying a little-understood, toxic amino acid called homocysteine.

Homocysteine reportedly is as damaging to the heart and blood vessels as is cholesterol and Steed refers to it as "the cholesterol of the 21st century."

Through her experiments with laboratory mice fed a "homocysteine diet" of animal proteins, she hopes to determine exactly what changes occur in blood vessels, primarily the aorta.



Posted by: Emily    Source

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