Improving angioplasty with ‘toxic’ gases

Our body naturally produces nitric oxide gas, which can help protect against abnormal blood clotting and has a role in controlling blood flow.

But in large amounts this gas is poisonous. We’re supporting a project looking at a new way to give people nitric oxide and other naturally produced gases at specific amounts during angioplasty to make the procedure more effective.

Your donations of time and money have helped us fund an almost £300,000 research project at the University of St Andrews where a team of scientists are doing cutting-edge work that could improve angioplasty – a common technique used to increase blood supply to heart muscle in people with angina or who have had a heart attack. Each year over 80,000 people in the UK undergo the procedure.

How your donations help

During angioplasty, a stent is often inserted into the artery to keep it open. But afterwards people still need to take medication to prevent blood clots forming around the stent. The scientists, working in collaboration with the University of the Highlands and Islands and across several disciplines, want to make special materials that could be used in stents to deliver therapeutic gases to prevent blood clots and any damaging inflammation.

The team will design and build tiny matrix-like structures called metal organic frameworks (MOFs) that are able to absorb and store large amounts of gas and then release this gas in measured amounts when required. Once they’ve come up with the structures they will start testing them to see if they’re safe and effective for patients.