Investigating the molecular switch that sparks new blood vessel growth

Transcriptional control of the metabolic switch in angiogenesis

Diseases including coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes affect our blood vessels, causing damage by limiting blood supply. One way to avoid these dangerous consequences could be to encourage healthy new blood vessels to grow. Lead by Dr Herbert, this team in Manchester are playing their part in a global effort to grow new blood vessels. Blood vessel growth is called angiogenesis. When new blood vessels do need to grow – for instance during pregnancy – a molecular switch is flicked inside the cells lining our blood vessels. This sends them into an active state where new branches sprout and new vessels are built. The team believe they have discovered an important regulator of this transformation, called Hlx1. With funding from the BHF they’ll use zebrafish to take their studies of Hlx1 to the next level. If Hlx1 is the master switch for angiogenesis it could be a prime target for new medicines to combat blood vessel damage. This could help our bodies self-repair when coronary heart disease, stroke or diabetes damage the blood supply to our vital organs.