“ZIP Coding” the Human Vascular System
December 20, 2011 | Terry Sharrer
Realizing that the vascular system is not a simple set of different sized pipes, researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center have begun mapping out molecular locations based on ligand-receptor differences which they liken to assigning postal ZIP codes. One code, for example, identifies protein pairings in the blood vessels that sustain white fat tissue, raising thoughts of an anti-angiogenesis drug for weight loss. The same idea applies to anti-angiogenesis strategies for specific cancers. MORE