Understanding how NPP1 works to prevent artery calcification

How does NPP1 ablation drive arterial calcification?

Heart and circulatory diseases are common complications of people with kidney disease. This is mainly due to a build-up of bone-like deposits in their arteries – causing them to stiffen and narrow. This is called calcification and can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. The underlying causes of calcification in arteries are poorly understood, and there are currently no effective treatments available for preventing, reducing or reversing this process. Dr Vicky MacRae and her team are working on a molecule called NPP1, a vital inhibitor of artery calcification. However, the way NPP1 exerts this protective effect is not clear. The team has shown that it acts directly in artery cells, but that it may also have a body-wide effect through actions in the liver. In this project, the team will further study how NPP1 carries out its protective role against calcification, and what happens when NPP1 is missing. The results will improve our understanding of how calcification develops in disease and, ultimately, could identify new therapeutic targets to treat or prevent this vascular complication.