Scientists find key to regenerating blood vessels

Researchers have identified a signalling pathway that is essential for the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, may improve current strategies to improve blood flow in ischemic tissue, such as that found in atherosclerosis and peripheral vascular disease associated with diabetes.
"Our research shows that the formation of fully functional blood vessels requires activation of protein kinase Akt by a protein called R-Ras, and this mechanism is necessary for the formation of the hallow structure, or lumen, of a blood vessel," said Masanobu Komatsu, from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) in the US.

"The findings are important because they shed new light on the biological process needed to increase blood flow in ischemic tissues," said Komatsu.
Previous efforts to treat ischemia by creating new blood vessels have focused on delivering angiogenic growth factors like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to ischemic sites. But all of these studies have failed to offer significant benefit to patients.
"Generating new blood vessels is similar to the way trees grow, sprouts develop from existing vessels and then branch out further and further to restore vascularity, said lead author of the study Fangfei Li from the SBP.

"This study shows that there are distinct steps and signals that control the process," Li said.

"We propose that VEGF and R-Ras activation of Akt signalling are complementary to each other, both are necessary to generate fully functional blood vessels to repair ischemic tissue," said Komatsu.
"Our next step is to work towards promoting the combined signalling of Akt in clinical studies, prompting R-Ras activation through either gene therapy or pharmacologically in parallel with VEGF therapy," said Komatsu.