Can microRNAs help to restore blood flow in peripheral arterial disease?

Role of microRNA-26b in post-ischaemic angiogenesis

Dr Andrea Caporali is finding out if a molecule called microRNA-26b could treat critical limb ischaemia, a condition where blood flow to the limbs is restricted because the blood vessels become blocked. Critical limb ischaemia is a severe complication of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), where fatty plaques accumulate in the walls of arteries supplying the limbs. Complications of PAD include sores and wounds on the legs and feet, which if left untreated, can lead to leg amputation. Scientists have used blood vessel growth factors to boost the formation of new blood vessels to re-establish the blood supply to the limbs in mice with blocked leg arteries, but trials of these growth factors in people have been disappointing. A class of small molecules called microRNAs have the potential to regulate vessel growth and reduce the need for amputation. Dr Caporali has discovered that a specific microRNA called microRNA-26b, found within the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels, controls blood vessel growth. His team has found that miRNA-26b could help vessels grow and survive after the blood supply is restricted. In this project, he will work out how microRNA-26b helps blood vessels to grow. He will also investigate how it helps to recruit inflammatory cells during the blood vessel repair process, and if altering its levels could treat disease. This research may reveal a new way to treat patients with critical limb ischaemia and avoid limb amputation in the future.