Available Technology
Cellular basis of vascular-graft stenosis
Technology:
Mouse model
Markets Addressed
The invention features a mouse model of vascular graft stenosis in which the stenosis develops rapidly and closely mimics the development of vascular graft stenosis in humans. Methods of surgically modifying a mouse artery to obtain the desired model are detailed.
About 400,000 patients undergo aorta-coronary bypass graft surgery annually in the United States. Two years after surgery, up to 30% of vein grafts develop significant occlusion, known as stenosis. The incidence of stenosis rises to approximately 50% ten years after surgery. The factors contributing to graft stenosis are largely unknown and there is a lack of an adequate animal model with which to study the mechanisms involved.
Innovations and Advantages
The mouse model described by the invention serves as an excellent research tool in the area of atherosclerosis by virtue of its similarity to the human disease. The invention may be used to screen therapeutic candidates for treatment of graft failure and stenosis. Additionally, the surgical modification described may be performed on a genetically engineered mouse in which a gene has been deleted (knockout mouse), to study the role of a given protein in the smooth muscle cellular processes leading to proliferative changes.
Additional Information
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Inventor(s):
Haber, Edgar
Shi, Chengwei
Sibinga, Nicholas E. S.
Categories:
For further information, please contact:
Debra Peattie, Director of Business Development
(617) 495-3067
Reference Harvard Case #1452