Eureka! The missing ingredient to grow blood vessels

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered an ingredient vital for proper blood vessel formation that explains why numerous promising treatments have failed. The discovery offers important direction for efforts to better treat a host of serious conditions ranging from diabetes to heart attacks and strokes. Until now, scientists seeking to […]

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered an ingredient vital for proper blood vessel formation that explains why numerous promising treatments have failed.

The discovery offers important direction for efforts to better treat a host of serious conditions ranging from diabetes to heart attacks and strokes.

Until now, scientists seeking to grow blood vessels have focused almost exclusively on growing only the inner layer of blood vessels, which are made up of endothelial cells.

The hope was that these endothelial cells would then recruit any other cell types needed to form a complete, functional blood vessel. But researchers led by Gary K. Owens, PhD, director of UVA’s Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Centre, have determined that those vessels can develop properly only if they’re grown in conjunction with another cell type, known as perivascular cells, including smooth muscle cells and pericytes. The researchers liken these perivascular cells to the outer support layers of a rubber hose or on automobile tires, without which they burst or leak.

“Most of the studies of angiogenesis [blood vessel formation] have focused on the inner lining of the pipes themselves,” researcher Daniel L. Hess said. “That’s fairly well understood. But it’s really not well understood how you get a complete functional blood vessel that can withstand the mechanical force exerted by blood pressure.”

UVA’s new discovery helps answer that – and, in so doing, saves scientists from the time, effort and cost of pursuing treatment strategies that will ultimately bear no fruit.

Courtesy: Nature Communications