Blood vessel formation requires a sufficient supply of endothelial cells during angiogenesis, which is controlled by the Wars2 gene. Researchers think exhibiting some type of control over it may help in the treatment or prevention of disease. Photo by UGREEN 3S/Shutterstock

WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- Researchers have identified a gene involved with the development of blood vessels that may serve as a target for treatment of heart disease and cancer.

Increasing or decreasing the presence of Wars2 during angiogenesis, the process of developing new blood vessels, may help doctors increase the quality of blood flow in the heart or stop abnormal blood vessel formation in diseased parts of the body, according to a recent study by researchers at Duke University and the National University of Singapore.


In cancer treatment, the slowing or stopping of angiogenesis is an attempt to keep nutrients from flowing to tumors during or after the formation of errant blood vessels. Increasing the process in the heart helps the organ to function better.

Identifying the role of Wars2, which helps deliver a sufficient supply of endothelial cells during angiogenesis, creates a new target to control the process and hopefully find better disease treatments.

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For the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers used several techniques to inhibit Wars2 function in rats and zebrafish, finding the action impaired the formation of blood vessels in their hearts and other parts of their bodies.

"Angiogenesis is vital for supporting life and providing nutrients to all parts of the body," Dr. Stuart Cook, a professor at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Center in Singapore, said in a press release. "Finding a way to control angiogenesis not only provides a target for the development of anti-cancer therapies, but may also prove useful in similarly starving abnormal blood vessel growth elsewhere in the body, like in diabetic eye disease."