Is a molecule called poly ADP ribose involved in blood vessel calcification?

Novel role for poly(ADP)ribose in vascular calcification

Professor Cathy Shanahan is looking for new ways to stop blood vessels accumulating calcium and becoming hard and stiff – a process that can cause high blood pressure and predisposes to coronary heart disease and heart failure. There are currently no ways to treat or reverse vascular calcification, and understanding how blood vessels calcify is essential to develop new treatments. Professor Shanahan and her team have identified a molecule called poly ADP ribose that is present in damaged blood vessels at the earliest stages of calcification. They think this molecule might contribute to the calcium being deposited within blood vessels and therefore may have a crucial role in the process. In this project, they will work out exactly how poly ADP ribose is involved in blood vessel calcification and what conditions dictate if it is formed and deposited. They will find out if drugs already used in the clinic called PARP inhibitors can block poly ADP ribose and if these drugs prevent vessels becoming calcified. This study could lead to the design of new drugs to prevent blood vessel calcification. The research may also show that it’s possible to repurpose existing drugs to prevent or treat blood vessel calcification.