Stem Cells Might Contribute To Vascular Disease - Stem Cells Might Cause More Damage After Vascular Surgery

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 15 May 2008 - 4:00 PST

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Physician-scientists believe that stem cells might play a harmful role in the body's reaction to trauma following common vascular surgery, like angioplasty. A team of scientists - led by Dr. K. Craig Kent, Greenberg-Starr Professor and professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian - are currently studying how stem cells implant themselves in the wall of arteries and grow out of control. Commonly, a blockage re-forms following angioplasty (termed re-stenosis) near the area where the procedure was performed.

The researchers observed that a chemical in the body called transforming growth factor beta (TGFb), which stimulates tissue growth, is released in high levels inside the artery following the trauma of angioplasty. Dr. Kent believes this happens because TGFb beckons stem cells to the irritated area to heal the wound.

This leads to the growth of dense, artery-blocking tissue. If the scientists can learn how to shut off this response, Dr. Kent believes great progress might be made in the treatment of recurring heart disease.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service. Weill Cornell physician-scientists have been responsible for many medical advances - from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and, most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally-conscious brain-injured patient. NewYork-Presbyterian, which is ranked sixth on the U.S.News & World Report list of top hospitals, also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion. Weill Cornell Medical College is the first U.S. medical college to offer a medical degree oversees and maintains a strong global presence in Austria, Brazil, Haiti, Tanzania, Turkey and Qatar.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Weill Cornell Medical Center