Searching for ways to promote new blood vessel growth

Characterising the in vitro and in vivo roles of the small GTPase RhoG in regulating angiogenesis. (Miss Leander Stewart)

In this PhD studentship supervised by Dr Georgia Mavria, the student is studying the complex process of new blood vessel growth, called angiogenesis. In heart and circulatory disease, blood vessels do not work properly, often because they are furred up by fatty material. To protect the tissue and ensure it stays healthy, new blood vessels need to form to re-establish a blood supply and transport nutrients and oxygen to tissues and organs. We don’t fully understand how new blood vessels form under these circumstances. The Leeds researchers have identified a new molecule involved in angiogenesis, called RhoG, which belongs to a family of proteins that control the ability of cells to move. When new endothelial cells (which form the inner lining of blood vessels) reach an area of poor blood supply from other sites of the body, they need to form new blood vessels. RhoG may also affect the growth of endothelial cells in existing blood vessels. In this project, the researchers will examine the role of RhoG in new blood vessel growth in cells and mice. They will also identify other molecules that co-operate with RhoG during this process. By understanding how blood vessel growth is controlled, this research could reveal new ways to promote angiogenesis and treat heart and circulatory disease when existing blood vessels become blocked or narrow.