New method for regrowing blood vessels developed
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Angiogram of blood vessels in and around the heart
Laser doppler image of rat's leg prior to treatment (left) and seven days after injection of the coated FGF-2 (right)
UTA bioengineer Aaron Baker
University of Texas at Austin researchers have developed a method that may speed up the body's ability to grow new blood vessels (Image: Shutterstock)
In spite of numerous medical breakthroughs ranging from heart transplants to bypass surgery, cardiovascular disease still tops the list as the leading cause of death in developed countries. Key among the many problems that trouble our hearts is something called myocardial ischemia disease (MID), a condition that leads to reduced blood flow in the vessels of the heart and lower extremities and, frequently, corrective surgery. Now, University of Texas at Austin (UTA) biomedical engineer Aaron Baker and his research team have developed a method that may speed up the body's ability to grow new blood vessels (a phenomenon called angiogenesis), and best of all, no surgery is required. That's potentially great news for the nearly 27 million folks in the U.S. alone who chronically suffer from MID.
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