Building new blood vessels after a heart attack

Targeting VEGFR1 and endothelial function using synthetic proteins called Adhirons (Miss Joanna Mitchell)

Most heart attacks occur when the coronary arteries, which supply heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood, become narrowed by a gradual build-up of fatty material within their walls. If a piece of fatty material (atheroma) breaks apart it may cause a blood clot to form. The blood clot can block the coronary artery and cut off the supply of oxygen-rich blood to heart muscle; this causes a heart attack. Loss of blood supply during a heart attack damages the heart muscle. The body has a natural way of forming new blood vessels, called angiogenesis, where new blood vessels ‘sprout’ from existing vessels. Scientists are looking for ways to boost the formation of new blood vessels to help increase the blood supply to damaged heart muscle after a heart attack. Angiogenesis depends on changes in the cells that line the inside of blood vessels called endothelial cells, and is controlled by molecules including one called VEGFA. A PhD student working with Dr Sreenivasan Ponnambalam and his team will carry out research on a new type of protein, called an Adhiron, to try and encourage better sprouting of new blood vessels. The student will find out if different Adhirons change how VEGFA causes vessel sprouting, and will work out whether they can be used to instruct endothelial cells to repair and build new blood vessels. If successful, Adhirons could eventually be used to design drugs to limit damage due to loss of blood supply after a heart attack.