Deciphering the angiogenic tug-of-war between neuropilin-1 interacting integrins: Phase II
The growth of new blood vessels is called angiogenesis. It is an essential process for establishing a blood supply in any tissue that has been damaged by disease. Researchers are striving to find a way to help our hearts repair themselves after heart attack. Their success depends partly on the ability to boost angiogenesis in the damaged heart to provide the heart muscle with nutrients. Endothelial cells form a smooth layer on the inner wall of our blood vessels, and they play a critical role in angiogenesis. A group of proteins called integrins help endothelial cells move through their environment to drive new blood vessel growth. Two integrins, alpha5 and beta3, seem to operate in concert with a molecule called neuropilin-1, in a complex network that governs this process. These researchers aim to figure out how the three proteins interact with one another to achieve coordinated angiogenesis. They will study – in cells and tissues in the lab, and in mice – how changing the levels of these three proteins in endothelial cells influences the process. They hope to find a way we could control blood vessel growth to repair the damaged heart.
Project details
| Grant amount | £192,754 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 March 2018 |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Reference | PG/17/46/32880 |
| Status | In Progress |
