The role of LOC105 in endothelial cell dysfunction in diabetes mellitus
King’s College researchers are investigating the role and importance of a molecule seen to be raised in cells in diabetes. More than 4 million people in the UK have diabetes. It is a serious condition with many health consequences, including being a major risk factor for heart disease. Diabetes damages the cells that line our blood vessels, called endothelial cells. This is thought to be one of the key reasons for why diabetes takes such a toll on our health. Dr Zampetaki believes she has found a molecule in these cells that causes some of the problems in diabetes. Our DNA contains genes with instructions – or ‘codes’ - to make proteins, as well as stretches of ‘non-coding’ DNA. The non-coding stretches are just as important as the coding sections in genes. They generate molecules called noncoding RNA. Dr Zampetaki’s team have found that the levels of one noncoding RNA, called LOC105, are higher in the endothelial cells of people and animals with diabetes. They’ve also discovered it controls several important aspects of how these cells behave. The team will now delve deeper into the role of LOC105, and how it acts in diabetes. The hope is that blocking LOC105 with a new medicine could be a way of combatting some of the damaging effects of diabetes so that people with the disease can live well for longer.
Project details
| Grant amount | £267,574 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 January 1900 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | PG/19/56/34550 |
| Status | In Progress |
