Grant: Operating Grant

Many people have diseases where increasing or decreasing growth of new blood vessels might help. For example, in coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease, arteries are blocked, and growing new blood vessels might prevent symptoms or damage. In cancer, reducing blood vessel formation might prevent tumor growth. Recently, in cancers, there has been recognition of new ways that mitochondria, the parts of cells that supply most of the energy, interact with a system called HIF that detects oxygen. Changes in the metabolism of cells alter the function of mitochondria, which can in turn change the HIF system. Since the HIF system is like a switch that turns on new blood vessel growth, changing the metabolism and mitochondrial function with drugs might be a new way to increase or decrease new blood vessel formation. This has not been studied in blood vessels yet. Since there are reports that thiazolidinediones, diabetes medicines that affect mitochondria and metabolism, might decrease new blood vessel formation in people in ways that are harmful, studying this mechanism is very important. In addition to understanding how these medicines might cause bad side effects, this work might lead to new ways of increasing new blood vessel growth in vascular disease and decreasing new blood vessel growth in cancer.