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Off-the-shelf blood vessels a step closer to reality
Scientists are a step closer to making "off-the- shelf" veins and arteries which could revolutionise treatment for heart attacks and strokes
- — Daily Mail
- Published: 00:00 January 17, 2012
London: Scientists are a step closer to making "off-the- shelf" veins and arteries which could revolutionise treatment for heart attacks and strokes.
A team at Cambridge University has managed to grow all three main types of cells which make up the walls of a blood vessel.
They say the breakthrough could help create blood vessels in the laboratory for surgeons to simply implant into patients as an alternative to heart bypass treatment and stenting.
One in three deaths in Britain is caused by cardiovascular disease, as a result of blood vessels narrowing or becoming blocked by fatty deposits.
Test tube blood vessels could also be used to treat kidney dialysis patients and leg bypasses and to fix damaged arteries after accidents for those who might otherwise lose a limb.
Important step
The researchers used patients' own skin cells to make different types of vascular smooth muscle cells.
Dr Sanjay Sinha, who worked on the discovery for four years, said: "This research represents an important step towards being able to generate the right kind of smooth muscle cells to help construct these new blood vessels.
"We are very excited about its potential. They could be used to build an artificial artery in a test tube or the stem cells could be injected straight into the heart and they could form within it."
A biotechnology firm in California managed to grow whole blood vessels in a lab for the first time last June and implanted them into three kidney dialysis patients.
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