Human veins in a laboratory – stem cell research, wants to make Diabetes curable

Researchers breed for the first time, human blood vessels without the body

Of a completely new approach to the healing of Diabetes and other chronic diseases, an Austrian research team reported. The researchers, it is for the first time, managed to, functional human blood vessels, so arteries in the laboratory from stem cells to breed. The Team wants to win in this way, new insights into Diabetes, cancer and other vascular diseases.

In recent years, stem cell research, has demonstrated again and again that it is possible, organs or cells from stem cells to breed. Such cultured organs are called in the jargon vascular Organoid. Researchers at the Institute of Molecular biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), it is now possible for the first time, a network of functional human blood vessels from stem to grow cells. Such wire systems without a body to allow completely new studies, the vascular diseases could be cured. The results of the study were recently published in the renowned journal “Nature”.

Research breakthrough or ethics-is Exceeded?

The IMBA Team speaks of a milestone in stem cell research. The so-called blood vascular Organoid from the laboratory to be an important driving force in basic research. Because the downstream of cultured human vein systems of mirrors according to the researchers, the processes of organ development and disease formation in humans. Thanks to such systems, one could re-enact vascular diseases, such as Diabetes for the first time in the laboratory “”. “Our Organoids are human capillaries are incredibly similar, and allow us for the first time, to examine blood vessel diseases directly to human tissue,” explains Reiner Wimmer, the first author of the current study, in a press release.

New therapies for vascular diseases of needs

The human blood vessels cover the body like a fine network, and not only reach all of the organs. The smallest blood Vessels, called capillaries, are only a few micro-metres in size and provide every single cell of the body with vital nutrients and oxygen. As the researchers report, to vessels of pathological changes of the blood, as in Diabetes, the case, in the world. Meanwhile, approximately 420 million people were affected. Those who suffer from Diabetes, have disorders are at increased risk for serious consequence like kidney failure, blindness, heart attack, stroke, and amputations. In the face of rising Numbers have to be developed according to the research team strongly more effective therapies.

What is the role of the capillaries in Diabetes?

According to the researchers, the first disease process in the tiny branches of the capillaries. The outer wall of these vessels will covered by the so-called basement membranes, which support the capillaries. These membranes were increased in Diabetes patients, thereby reducing the nutrient and oxygen supply is severely restricted. This often leads to the vessels to the death of the small blood.

Cultured Vascular Diseases

The cultured blood vascular Organoid from the laboratory make it possible for the first time, to simulate such disease processes at “real” blood vessels. The researchers conducted a nutrient medium with a high Sugar content and anti-inflammatory substances through the vessels. “Surprisingly, we were able to observe the with Diabetes typical thickening of the basal membrane in diabetic organo-halides,” says Wimmer.

Drugs test time is different

In further experiments, the researchers tested how the diabetic blood vessels on current Diabetes medications responded. Most drugs, however, showed no effects. The Team could, however, identify two molecules (notch3 gene and Dll4), which regulate the thickening of the basal membrane of the capillaries is decisive. A Review of human diabetic patients showed that these had increased activity of the notch3 gene. Blocking these signaling pathways could be a new approach for the treatment of Diabetes, suggests the research team.

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