Cheers!
Posted on 03/08/2010 2:37:00 PM PST by decimon
A new method of growing arteries could lead to a "biological bypass"—or a non-invasive way to treat coronary artery disease, Yale School of Medicine researchers report with their colleagues in the April issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Coronary arteries can become blocked with plaque, leading to a decrease in the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. Over time this blockage can lead to debilitating chest pain or heart attack. Severe blockages in multiple major vessels may require coronary artery bypass graft surgery, a major invasive surgery.
"Successfully growing new arteries could provide a biological option for patients facing bypass surgery," said lead author of the study Michael Simons, M.D., chief of the Section of Cardiology at Yale School of Medicine.
In the past, researchers used growth factors—proteins that stimulate the growth of cells—to grow new arteries, but this method was unsuccessful. Simons and his team studied mice and zebrafish to see if they could simulate arterial formation by switching on and off two signaling pathways—ERK1/2 and P13K.
"We found that there is a cross-talk between the two signaling pathways. One half of the signaling pathway inhibits the other. When we inhibit this mechanism, we are able to grow arteries," said Simons. "Instead of using growth factors, we stopped the inhibitor mechanism by using a drug that targets a particular enzyme called P13-kinase inhibitor."
"Because we've located this inhibitory pathway, it opens the possibility of developing a new class of medication to grow new arteries," Simons added. "The next step is to test this finding in a human clinical trial."
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Other authors on the study included Bin Ren, Yong Den, Arpita Mukhopadhyay, Anthony A. Lanahan, Zhen W. Zhuang, Karen L. Moodie, Mary Jo Mulligan-Kehoe, Tatiana V. Byzova, and Randall T. Peterson
The Journal of Clinical Investigation Vol. 120, No. 4 (April 2010)
Blood ties ping.
BUT, under ObamCare, anyone over the age of 35 will be given a pill and sent home. Too expensive for ObamaCare Govbots to dole out.
Curious why the TM?
Because seemingly everything in the Democratic platform is based on providing for the “Common Good.” So much so, that it would seem that they’ve patented the phrase.
This is good stuff. I had bypass surgery ten years ago and really never want to go through it again. Thanks for the article.
PI3K is... Phosphatidyl Inositol 3-kinase, a signaling protein as described in the excerpt.
What P13K is I have no idea, so pretty sure it is a typo for PI3K.
Gotcha.
May I ask to be added please?
I don’t have a ping list. I ping neverdem because he’s a handy physician to abuse. I included DvdMom because she so requested. I’ll include you if you’ll trim your beard. ;-)
Cheers!
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