Research could offer new hope for patients with cardiovascular disease

New research has shown a protein that controls the growth of new blood vessels could potentially reduce the effects of cardiovascular disease in patients’ legs, including risks of leg ulcers, gangrene, and amputation. The study led by academics in Boston and involving researchers at The University of Nottingham centred on the role that the signal protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays in peripheral arterial disease (PAD). It found that, unlike other people, patients with symptomatic arterial disease did not produce the correct form of VEGF needed to stimulate new blood vessel growth in their leg, placing them at greater