Preventing remodelling of blood vessels after vein graft surgery

Exploitation of the response to injury in saphenous vein bypass grafts (renewal)

The way that our blood vessels heal after injury has important consequences for our future health. Blood vessels are known to ‘remodel’ after being damaged, and this remodelling can trigger a disease process that leads to thickening of the vessel wall and the build-up of fatty plaques in the walls of our arteries which can eventually lead to a heart attack or stroke. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which make up part of the wall of blood vessels, are known to play a role in this remodelling by laying down new scar tissue and thickening the vessel wall which restricts blood flow. However, there are very few treatments that target these cells to prevent remodelling. Professor Andrew Baker and team study how blood vessels respond to injury and how to influence repair and regeneration of the vascular system after injury, for example after a vein graft. The team has previously identified several molecules involved in the growth and multiplication of VSMCs. In this programme the team aims to explore influencing the behaviour of VSMCs with tiny molecules called microRNAs. They plan to develop and test a gene therapy treatment that could switch VSMCs multiplication off after a vein graft to protect against remodelling and to examine the pathways affected. The results could lead to new treatments and important discoveries that halt the damage caused by blood vessel injury, preventing the progression of heart and circulatory disease.