Identifying New Drug Receptors to Treat Vascular Disease

Supervisors: Dr Fiona Murray and Professor Graeme Nixon

The most common clinical intervention for heart disease is balloon angioplasty followed by stent emplacement. Although providing immediate benefit, in many cases this procedure eventually leads to further arterial blockage. Arterial blockage after angioplasty occurs as a result of increased proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells in the artery wall. Novel drug targets to prevent blockage after angioplasty remain an unmet clinical need. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest receptor family in the human genome and are the targets for >30% of prescription drugs. GPCRs are therefore a major focus in drug discovery. This project will use array technology to identify novel (normally expressed but not previously recognized) GPCRs and determine their role in human vascular smooth muscle cell function. Receptors that specifically block vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration could be new targets for drugs in the treatment of heart disease. The project benefits from close ties with clinical colleagues, expertise in vascular disease models and drug discovery. Training in all techniques will be provided.