Guest Kristy Red-Horse is a biologist who specializes in coronary artery development and disease. She says the latest advances in treatment of blockages could do away with invasive bypass surgeries in favor of growing new arteries using molecules like CXCL12, known to promote artery regrowth in mice. Red-Horse explains how leaps forward in medical imaging, expanding atlases of gene expressions, and new drug delivery mechanisms could someday lead to trials in humans. But, before that day can arrive, much work remains, as Red-Horse tells host Russ Altman in this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.
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Chapters:
(00:00:00) Introduction
Russ Altman introduces Kristy Red-Horse, a professor of biology at Stanford University.
(00:03:46) Replacing Open-Heart Surgery
Why bypass surgery is invasive, risky, and requires long recovery.
(00:05:09) Challenges in Artery Growth
The difficulty of targeting artery growth with medical interventions.
(00:07:32) The Role of Collateral Arteries
Definition and function of collateral arteries as natural bypass.
(00:09:37) Triggers for Natural Bypass Formation
Genetic factors that may influence the growth of these bypass arteries.
(00:10:49) Unique Properties of Coronary Arteries
Challenges of ensuring artificial growth replicates natural artery function.
(00:13:04) The Discovery of CXCL12
A key molecule that stimulates collateral artery formation.
(00:16:16) Precise Artery Growth Control
The results of targeted CXCL12 injections into mice hearts.
(00:17:32) CXCL12’s Overlooked Role
The molecule’s role in the immune system and stem cells.
(00:20:27) Guinea Pigs and Heart Attack Resistance
How guinea pigs naturally develop collaterals.
(00:23:19) Preventing Heart Disease
Using artery growth treatments to target early-stage coronary disease.
(00:25:25) Breakthroughs in Imaging Technology
New technology that enables identification of collateral growth pathways.
(00:27:07) How Collateral Arteries Form
The two mechanisms in which new arteries form.
(00:28:48) The Future of Medical Artery Growth
The possibility of eliminating bypass surgery with targeted artery growth.
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