Biomedical engineers at the University of Calgary have managed to replicate the flow of blood through the vessels in the heart in order to test the theory that a certain protein could help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Tina Rinker and Bob Shepherd began their research by studying the cells that line the inside of the blood vessels.
The cells act as a barrier between the vessel lining and the blood travelling through it.
Rinker and Shepherd were able to prove that those cells react differently to a protein called SMAD2.
They discovered that there are healthier arteries in areas where there is a higher presence of SMAD2.
Researchers say that the discovery has been suspected for quite some time but it couldn't be duplicated in a lab setting until now.
To measure the affect that the protein had on the cells, the duo had to develop a device that pushes blood through the vessels to see how the cells would react.
The first step was to extract the cells that line the arteries from living donors and grow them in a lab.
Next they lined a sterile tray with the cells and then used a pump to act as the heart to push blood through the vessels and then eventually through the tray.
They determined that the straight portions of the vessels, where blood flow is highest and less impeded, are more resistant to disease.
In addition, the curved portions or smaller areas, where the vessels branch off and circulation slows down, are more prone to arterial plaque.
"Atherosclerosis is plaque. A sore on your blood vessels that can lead to closing off the blood vessels and lead to rupture where you can form a clot. If that happens in the heart you have a heart attack. If it happens in the brain you have a stroke," said Rinker.
Rinker and Shephard have been working on the project for the last 4 years.
The research is published in this month's American Journal of Physiology.
