Scientific Abstract

Proposal No.  IBD-0140
Principal Investigator:  Silvio Danese, M.D.
Applicant Organization:  Catholic University of Rome (Italy)
Project Title:  Angiogenesis in inflammatory bowel disease:  the contribution of platelet-endothelial interactions and implications for novel therapeutic approaches
Period of Award:  February 1, 2005 – February 28, 2007

Angiogenesis, defined as the growth of new blood vessels, plays an essential role in tumor growth and metastasis.  However, a growing body of evidence is showing a critical role for angiogenesis in a variety of chronic inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, asthma, diabetic retinopathy, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.  The importance of angiogenesis in inflammation is not only due to its contribution to disease pathogenesis, but also to the therapeutic implications of blocking angiogenesis.  Indeed, targeting new vessels is a novel and very promising therapeutic strategy in many inflammatory conditions.  Whether angiogenesis also plays a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and whether its blockade is beneficial in chronic intestinal inflammation remains to be determined.  Platelets, beside their known role in thrombosis and hemostasis, have recently emerged as elements critically involved in promotion of angiogenesis.  In this project, we propose to assess the contribution of platelet-endothelial interaction in promoting angiogenesis and to evaluate angiogenesis in human and experimental colitis as a component of IBD pathogenesis.  Furthermore, we propose to investigate the blockade of platelet-endothelial interactions as a novel therapeutic strategy for IBD.