Gene could help fight hardening arteries

EU-funded researchers have identified a gene in blood vessels that could prevent arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), according to a report in the British Medical Journal. A protein from the VEGF gene is essential for the growth of blood vessels in the foetus, and in adults it protects arteries from daily wear and tear. The researchers are now perfecting ways of delivering the protein from outside the arteries during surgery. They have devised a biodegradable reservoir which can be attached to the artery and which will deliver the VEGF protein over a period of months. The aim will be to develop a tablet which could be taken as preventive medication.