How blood vessels become arteries or veins
Cell Cycle Control of Arterial-Venous Specification
Researchers are looking at how blood flow and cell-cycle signals tell vessel cells to become arteries or veins, which could help people who need better blood-vessel repair or tissue grafts.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11235103 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project looks at how different amounts of blood flow change the growth cycle of vessel cells and push them to become arteries or veins. Scientists will use mouse models of retinal blood-vessel growth and human stem-cell-derived blood vessels, expose them to different shear stresses, and examine gene activity with ATAC-seq and bioinformatics. They focus on signals like Notch, TGF-β1, BMP4, and the cell-cycle regulator p27 to link flow, cell-cycle state, and vessel identity. Learning these steps could help researchers make better ways to repair damaged vessels or grow blood vessels for tissue engineering.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This research is most relevant to people with blood-vessel problems—such as poor wound healing, peripheral artery disease, or patients needing vascular grafts—though it is mainly lab-based.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate treatments or acute care for vascular disease are unlikely to directly benefit from this basic laboratory research in the short term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could enable new therapies or engineered tissues that repair or replace damaged blood vessels.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal and early stem-cell work from this group showed flow-dependent changes in vessel gene programs, but translating those findings into patient treatments is still early.
Where this research is happening
Charlottesville, United States
- University of Virginia — Charlottesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hirschi, Karen Kemper — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Hirschi, Karen Kemper
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.