Testing new molecules to develop into drugs for blood vessel diseases

Novel ligands for the angiopoietin receptor with therapeutic potential for vascular disease

Damage to blood vessels can cause a number of serious conditions including coronary heart disease and stroke. The body normally produces a protein called Ang1 that binds to the cells lining our blood vessels to keep them healthy. In several different heart and circulatory diseases this protein is stopped from binding to the blood vessel cells and the cells become damaged, causing problems like blood vessel leakage. Unfortunately, Ang1 cannot be used as a drug, so based on our knowledge of how Ang1 binds to blood vessel cells, Professor Nicholas Brindle and colleagues have made some new molecules that act like Ang1. These Ang1-like molecules bind to blood vessel cells, even under disease conditions, so they could stop the cells becoming damaged. They have now been awarded a grant to test a series of these new molecules, select the best ones to develop into new drugs, make them even more active and find out exactly how they work. This project may reveal molecules that could be used to develop into new drugs for people with blood vessel diseases.