Medical

New method for regrowing blood vessels developed

New method for regrowing blood vessels developed
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)
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)
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Angiogram of blood vessels in and around the heart
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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)
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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
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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)
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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)
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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.

Previous work in triggering angiogenesis to reverse ischemia has centered around treating target tissues with a growth factor called FGF-2 (fibroblast growth factor 2), but getting it to bind to extracellular receptors has been difficult at best.

"Others have tried using growth factors to stimulate vessel growth in clinical trials and have not been successful," Baker said. "We think that a major reason for this is that previous methods assumed that the diseased tissues retained the ability to respond to a growth stimulus. Our method basically delivers extra components that can restore growth factor responsiveness to the tissue of patients with long-standing clinical disease."

To boost the growth factor's effectiveness, the researchers hit upon the novel approach of encasing it in lipid-based nanoparticles (proteoliposomes) that contain a cell division-promoting co-receptor called syndecan-4. When injected into rats with hindlimb ischemia, the coated FGF-2 triggered recovery in as little as seven days. The team's results, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrate that enhanced cell binding of the growth factor leads to a boost in division and proliferation of new vascular cells.

Laser doppler image of rat's leg prior to treatment (left) and seven days after injection of the coated FGF-2 (right)
Laser doppler image of rat's leg prior to treatment (left) and seven days after injection of the coated FGF-2 (right)

"We hope this research will increase our understanding of how tissues become resistant to revascularization therapies and may lead to more effective treatments for this widespread and debilitating disease," Baker said. That's a shot of welcome news, indeed, for MID patients whose future may now offer a less-invasive option to the surgery they otherwise would surely have faced.

Source: University of Texas

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TheRogue1000
I find it rather amazing that there is so little talk of a totally non invasive method of growing blood vessels, around since the 1960s and available in many places around the world. It\'s not terribly expensive, is completely safe and, best of all, is FDA approved. What is this magical procedure? It\'s called EECP (Enhanced External Counterpulsation) and is simple to get and works wonderfully well. The biggest group currently delivering this is Dr. Debra Braverman\'s [http://bravermancenters.com/] organization in the Philadelphia area. It\'s also available in many states, in Canada, Europe and Asia. Even works for folks who have already had non fatal heart attacks.