Understanding how blood vessels become leaky

Pinocytosis (fluid-phase transcytosis) and vascular leakage (Dr Jui-Hsien Chang)

Blood vessel leakage into the surrounding tissue is common in many inflammatory diseases, and can occur in people with diabetes or after a stroke. A PhD student working with Dr Patric Turowski will learn more about the link between blood vessel leakage and a process that takes place in cells lining blood vessels called the transcellular transport pathway. Transcellular transport is a way to move substances from the blood vessel into the tissues of the body by passing through the cells lining the blood vessel. Although leakage into the tissues through this transcellular pathway is common during conditions such as stroke, very little is known about this transport process. With a team from University College London, this BHF-funded research aims to find out more about how the transcellular pathway is involved in blood vessel leakage. The research will investigate leakage in vessels in the brain and elsewhere in the body using cell and animal models and may provide support for the eventual development of drugs that prevent vascular leakage in a variety of blood vessel related diseases.