Changes in vascular cells can help in early detection

A new study suggests that atherosclerosis can be detected by signs that contribute to the knowledge of arterial blockage, by observing the evolution of cells in the blood vessels, according to the latest findings published in the November issue of Nature. Telecom).

The magazine noted that it had long been known that the neurons lining the blood vessels performed several tasks, while their main function was to pump blood throughout the body, but that they also participated in lesions, "tinkering" in the blood vessels. Cells to harden, leading to the formation of "plaques" in the blood vessels that block blood flow.

Using modern genome techniques, a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Cambridge and London captured a small number of vascular muscle cells in the rat's blood vessels during the switching process and described their molecular properties, using an innovative methodology called a single-cell RNA sequence. The activity of most genes in the genome is followed in hundreds of individual vascular muscle cells.

The researchers believe the study could pave the way for detection of "switching" cells in humans, thus enabling the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis at a very early stage of the future.