Are neuropilins involved in atherosclerosis development?

Role of neuropilins in the development of atherosclerosis and neointimal lesions following vascular injury 

Dr Caroline Pellet Many and her colleagues at University College London are studying atherosclerosis, a complex disorder of blood vessels that is a major cause of heart and circulatory disease. In patients with atherosclerosis, blood vessels become ‘furred up’ with fatty plaques that restrict blood flow through them. As well as affecting the cells that line the blood vessels, atherosclerosis causes an abnormal build-up of blood vessel smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and immune cells, which help the atherosclerotic plaques to form. VSMCs change their behaviour in atherosclerosis so that they divide and move more, and this process is an important part of how blood vessels can re-narrow after they have been widened through surgery using a procedure called angioplasty. Dr Pellet Many has discovered that molecules called neuropilins are present in VSMCs taken from the large blood vessels that transport blood from the heart around the body, and that these neuropilins are important for the movement of these cells. In this project, she will investigate whether they play an important role in atherosclerosis and will aim to understand some of the cellular changes involved, including whether they contribute to VSMC movement. This research will further our understanding of atherosclerosis, and may help to identify promising new molecules that could be developed into new treatments.