Stem Cells to Transplantable Arteries
July 2, 2019 | Terry Sharrer
A handful of research groups have succeeded in growing artificial arteries, but this piece reports that scientists at the Morgridge Institute (Madison, WI) have shown how it’s possible to restore expansion and compression functions in lab grown blood vessels. “To restore the contractile ability of smooth muscle cells and thereby facilitate better blood flow, the team used high-throughput screening to identify small molecules that can overcome the problem. RepSox stood out among 4,804 drugs. In contrast to commonly used growth factors, RepSox inhibited intimal hyperplasia in a rat balloon injury model, and it’s more stable and less expensive, the researchers reported.” MORE
Image Credit: Morgridge Institute and FierceBioTech.com