Elucidating the protective potential of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in cardiovascular disease
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a short protein, produced by certain types of nerves, that relaxes blood vessels. Several decades ago it was realised that CGRP might be beneficial for treating heart and circulatory diseases, but it was difficult to turn this into a treatment. Professor Brain and her team at King’s College London, have developed a stable version of CGRP that was given to mice, preventing the development of high blood pressure, damage to blood vessels and heart failure. Now, the team wants to know whether this new drug can also treat existing heart and circulatory conditions besides preventing their development. They will investigate how effective low doses of CGRP are when continually released by an implant in mice. They will study the mechanisms responsible for CGRP’s protective properties and will analyse whether CGRP’s blood pressure-lowering activity is important. The results will provide important information about the potential of CGRP as a new treatment for heart and circulatory diseases.
Project details
| Grant amount | £259,723 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 October 2019 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | PG/19/14/34268 |
| Status | In Progress |
