Scientists restore lost protein to reverse lung disease in preclinical models
Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have identified a natural protective protein that maintains healthy lung blood vessels. Increasing the expression of this protein in preclinical models of pulmonary arterial hypertension reversed key features of the disease, including pulmonary vascular remodeling and heart dysfunction.
Scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute have revealed a promising therapeutic target for pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare and progressive lung disease that leads to high blood pressure in the lungs and potential heart failure. The study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, identifies a protein called bone morphogenetic protein 3 (BMP3) as a key factor in maintaining healthy lung blood vessels.
Researchers found that BMP3 levels are significantly reduced in individuals with pulmonary arterial hypertension, coinciding with the disease's characteristic pulmonary vascular remodeling and cardiac dysfunction. Two separate methods, including recombinant BMP3 protein administration and a lung-targeted gene therapy, were used to increase BMP3 expression in preclinical models of the disease.
Both approaches successfully reversed key disease features, such as damaged blood vessels and impaired heart function. The findings suggest that BMP3 could serve as both a therapeutic target and a biomarker for monitoring disease progression. If further studies confirm these results, BMP3-based therapies could offer a new approach to treating pulmonary arterial hypertension, a condition for which current treatments primarily focus on symptom management and disease progression.
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