Researchers in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Leicester are developing a new way to make protein based drugs with potential applications in stroke, vascular inflammation, blood vessel formation, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.
The research carried out by doctoral student Shikha Sharma in Dr Nick Brindle’s group in the department of cardiovascular sciences aims to allow researchers to rapidly make “designer proteins” that can bind to disease causing molecules in the body.
Shikha Sharma said: “There are millions of different proteins that are involved in carrying out numerous functions in the human body. Over time each protein has evolved to optimise its function. Disease could result if any of these fail to perform efficiently.
“By generating designer proteins in test tubes, we can produce molecules that have specific actions to control processes in the body. These proteins can be used to make drugs as a treatment for heart disease and cancer.”
She added: “While most drugs in current use are synthetic, these designer molecules are developed from natural proteins and are likely to have fewer side effects.”
