Molecular Angiogenesis Laboratory

Previous and current research

Angiogenesis or growth of new blood vessels is now widely accepted by the research community to be an essential component of tumour growth. Blocking of angiogenesis is currently one of the most intensely investigated areas of cancer research. We are interested in the molecular basis of angiogenesis and most of our work revolves around trying to understand the process and to identify new targets for therapeutic intervention. This involves the identification of novel genes active in the process and study of their biological behaviour. During the last few years we have identified several genes such as magic roundabout and the endothelial cell specific molecules (ECSMs) that play an intimate role in the angiogenic process in both normal development as well as pathologies such as tumours.

Future projects
For genes of particular interest we plan to analyse regulation of their expression by, for example, hypoxia, cytokines, endothelial growth factors and extracellular matrix. We are also in the process of characterising expression in both the adult mouse and during development by in situ hybridisation. Gene product function in angiogenesis will be studied in a wide range of in vivo and in vitro models that we have running in the laboratory. Further bioinformatic approaches to identify genes of interest are under development.