14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) announced yesterday that they managed to create a special gel to promote blood vessel growth. The substance is very rich in enzymes and growth agents, and encourages new circulatory systems to form around an affected area, its creators say. The work, which proved to be highly effective on rats, was detailed in the latest issue of the respected journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Reuters reports.
In the experiments the team conducted on rodents with clogged arteries, it was determined that the new gel was able to promote the growth of completely new blood vessels, which bypassed the site of the blockage, and allowed blood to flow continuously through the area. What the gel basically does is keep all the components needed for vessel formation in one place, until nearby veins, arteries and capillaries start growing new “branches” to irrigate the area. “They have all the features of blood vessels,” says Georgia Tech researcher Andres Garcia, who was also the leader of the team behind the findings.
In a telephone interview, Garcia highlighted that the new gel could also potentially be used to create a nesting site of sorts for pancreas cells, an accomplishment that could see many diabetes type I sufferers getting better. People who have lost their pancreas – which is the main source of insulin inside the body – could also benefit from the new approach, he said. The expert also added that rats which had some of their veins tied, to simulate a blood cloth in the leg, regained circulation in the affected area within two weeks of starting the gel therapy.
Coronary heart disease and peripheral artery disease, two very common illnesses, kill or put into hospital more than 24,8 million Americans each year. These conditions are caused by poor blood flow, and they could theoretically be treated if the flow was restored. The new gel promises to do just that. Its development was made possible through funding from the US National Institute of Health (NIH), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the American Heart Association. The Georgia Tech team has yet to sign any contracts with a company, but hopes that one day, its product will reach the masses.