What Does Angiogenesis Mean?

The process of the creation of new blood vessels is known as angiogenesis – when you break down the word you find that “angio” means blood vessels and “genesis” means creation. We used the word in our last past when we discussed the new research that has been done into Omega-3 fatty acids used to fight cancer.

The process of angiogenesis is important for the human body as it retains health and fights disease. Blood carries oxygen around the body and the blood vessels are the pathways along which the blood travels. The growth of new tissue in the body necessitates the need for a strong blood supply for growth and sustenance and this is where the formation of new blood vessels is vital.

The part that angiogenesis plays in fighting cancer and other diseases are the area we are most interested in. There is a balancing act surrounding the angiogenesis regulators within the body. When that balance is out the control is lost and the result is either too much or too little angiogenesis.

There is a case when angiogenesis is a problem and that is when it occurs in tumors and cancers as it feeds and helps them to grow. One of the ways in which new agents work in the treatment of cancer is to target the angiogenesis factors so that prevention of new blood vessels supplying the tumor could starve off the cancer cells and eventually kill them.

An example of a recent drug delivery system development that treats cancer in this way has been reported. The study is being undertaken by scientists at the University of South Florida Nanomedicine Research Center. The research may lead to the development of new drugs or delivery systems to treat cancer by blocking this receptor, known as natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPRA).

"Our results show that NRPA signalling by cancer cells produces some molecular factors that attract stem cells, which in turn form blood vessels that provide oxygen and nutrients to the tumor," said the study's principal investigator Subhra Mohapatra, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine. "We showed that if the NPRA signal is blocked, so is the angiogenesis and, if the tumor's blood supply is cut off it will die."

There is work going into the testing of an innovative drug delivery system that makes use of nanoparticles which will enable the cancer cells to be specifically targeted. This means that the healthy cells will be spared and there will be less trauma to the patient.