Researchers at the University of Plymouth are working towards identifying indicators of hypertension and other blood vessel problems. Their research focuses on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), the primary components of blood vessels, and their interaction with myeloid cells circulating in the blood.
The proteomic profiling of VSMC is being led by Dr. Vikram Sharma from the University of Plymouth’s Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine in collaboration with University College Dublin (UCD). A team at UCD's Stemcology group led by Dr. Arun Kumar recently found that myeloid cells have the ability to influence the contraction of VSMC.
The research indicates that there are 3 primary forms of VSMC: proliferative, intermediate, and contractile. Proliferative types of VSMC hold importance in atherosclerotic conditions as their interaction with myeloid cells could render the atherosclerotic plaques unstable. The interactions of intermediate or contractile type of VSMC with myeloid cells is believed to contribute to blood vessel thickening in hypertension. The team expects to assess the complete proteomic profile of the myeloid cells’ interaction with all 3 forms of VSMC, and subsequently identify specific potential targets.
