Preventing arteries from blocking after angioplasty

The role of sphingolipids in monocyte binding: a potential therapeutic target in restenosis

Patients with blocked coronary arteries often undergo angioplasty - the insertion of a balloon catheter into the artery followed by balloon inflation to unblock the artery and restore blood flow to the heart. However, as a result of angioplasty, immune cells called macrophages can attach to the artery wall and cause it to become inflamed. This can lead to the artery blocking up again, called restenosis. In this PhD studentship, taking place at the University of Aberdeen, the researchers will study how immune cells attach to the blood vessel wall. They have preliminary results showing that the macrophages attach to vascular smooth muscle cells in the blood vessel wall. The smooth muscle cells are exposed to the surface when the artery wall is damaged. The student will test if a type of fat found in blood called sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) can prevent the inflammation of arteries caused by macrophages following angioplasty by preventing macrophages binding to the artery wall. This project could identify SPC as a new drug target to prevent arteries blocking up after angioplasty as a result of inflammation.