Restoring blood flow to damaged tissues - do stem cells hold the key?

Does Nox4 play a key role in direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into endothelial cells and underlie their ability to promote angiogenesis?

In diseases where blood flow to tissues becomes reduced (ischaemia), new blood vessels grow – this is called ‘angiogenesis’. Ischaemic diseases such as those affecting the heart and limbs affect millions of people each year and are major causes of ill health and death. Stem cells are emerging as a potential therapy for heart and circulatory disease. A type of stem cell called an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell can be directed to develop into blood vessel cells, with the potential to promote angiogenesis and restore blood flow to tissues to treat these conditions. Dr David Grieve from Queen’s University Belfast have recently developed a novel way of creating partial iPS cells which, unlike iPS cells, do not have the ability to become tumour cells and are therefore theoretically safer to use. Dr Grieve’s team have been awarded a grant to study an enzyme called Nox4 NADPH oxidase, which produces chemicals known as reactive oxygen species. They will find out whether this enzyme controls the growth and function of iPS cells. Their research will unravel how these cells are influenced by Nox4 NADPH oxidase and will establish new methods to produce large numbers of functional cells. Once they are produced in large amounts, these cells could potentially be used to treat patients with heart and circulatory diseases to prevent damage from ischaemia. This research will establish the potential of these cells as a novel treatment for patients with heart and circulatory disease.