CLOTBUSTING genes that are switched on by blood coursing through the body could save the lives of thousands of people who are prone to thrombosis, strokes or heart attacks. Together these diseases account for a quarter of all deaths in Britain.
Larry McIntire and his colleagues at Rice University in Texas have discovered a gene promoter that is active only in blockage-prone regions of the bloodstream. The promoterwhich switches on any neighbouring geneis activated in endothelial cells that line the walls of blood vessels. To keep clot-prone areas clear McIntire wants to tether this promoter to a gene which produces a clot-busting substance.
The promoter only works in regions where blood flowing over the vessel walls creates low drag forces. The gene usually triggers production of endothelin-1, a compound which adjusts blood flow by constricting vessels.
Where shear stresses are low, vessels are most likely to clog up with fatty ...
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