What triggers an aneurysm to get bigger, and can we stop it?

Mechanosensor ion channel interaction in abdominal aortic aneurysm (Mr Mohammed Waduud)

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a ballooning of the main blood vessel in the body, the aorta. AAAs tend to grow over time and eventually may rupture, which can be fatal. At the moment, the only treatment is surgery if the aneurysm is large, but this has considerable risks. This fellowship is focused on understanding what happens in the aorta as the aneurysm develops. The lining of the aorta is made up of muscle cells, and these cells are exposed to different physical stresses as an aneurysm develops. Dr Bailey believes that a pair of molecules called Piezo1 and Orai1 work together to help muscle cells detect changes in their environment, and that they generate a series of signals between cells that drives the growth of the aneurysm. Using cells isolated from the aneurysms of patients during surgery, and mice that lack the Piezo1 molecule in the muscle cells of their aorta, they will study the communication between these molecules in more detail and understand how they might drive AAA progression. The study aims to reveal the underlying biology of AAA and could also identify new starting points for treatments.