Growing blood vessels to mend the damage caused by a heart attack

Vascular regeneration and heart repair- exploiting the pro-angiogenic properties of endoglin

Many thousands of heart attack survivors go on to develop heart failure, a condition which has a detrimental effect on their quality of life. Over recent decades scientists have carried out clinical trials to try to repair damaged hearts using injections of stem cells, in particular from bone marrow. Although some trials have shown a slight increase in heart function, the results have been disappointing for patients. Professor Helen Arthur’s team at the University of Newcastle, aims to develop a better treatment by finding the best cells to repair heart muscle. One type of cell, called a cardiosphere-derived cell (CDC) has particular potential as a future therapy. Research has shown that CDCs are present in the adult heart and have the potential to produce new muscle. However, heart muscle on its own is not enough – to work properly new muscle needs blood vessels to supply it with oxygen. Professor Arthur’s new experimental therapy, tested in mice, will use a combination of CDCs and cells from the inner layer of blood vessels to try to restore function to the heart. Professor Arthur will also look at the processes governing the heart growth in the embryo, for clues about how to switch on the ‘lost’ potential of the adult heart to grow. Specifically, she aims to clarify the role of a protein called endoglin in the growing heart, which is present on the surface of CDCs and blood vessel cells and appears to play a part in both the generation of new blood vessels and the maturation of small blood vessels into strong, supple arteries. This programme could point towards better ways to repair damaged hearts by harnessing the heart’s dormant ability to grow, and will give us a new understanding of the fundamental processes underlying heart development