- Researchers are looking into the potential causes of cerebral small vessel disease by growing small blood vessel models in a lab.
- They said they hope to discover potential treatments for the condition, which can occur in people who have diseases such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
- Experts say the findings are promising, but they caution that the research still has a long ways to go.
Scientists at Cambridge University in England have grown small blood vessel-like models in the lab to find out what makes them leak in individuals with certain medical conditions that increase the risk of vascular dementia and stroke.
The results of that
There are two main types of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD).
The most common is associated with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes and often occurs in middle-aged individuals.
The other rare form is inherited and usually found in people in their mid-30s. One cause is a mutation in a gene called COL4.
In their study, scientists from the Victor Philip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute at Cambridge took skin cells from people with the rare form of SVD that’s caused by mutations in the COL4 gene.
They used these to create induced pluripotent stem cells, which can develop into almost any cell in the body.
The researchers used these cells to form new cells and created a model of the disease found in the brain vessels.
The scientists reported that the mutations in this form of SVD caused disruptions in the
The scientists also found that too much production of molecules called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are needed to maintain the structure of the extracellular matrix, was associated with the disruption they observed.
The team treated the cells with drugs that inhibit MMPs. They…
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