Biomarkers ROCK
5 years. Plasma from 7,000 participants. 180 potential biomarkers.
Will it be enough to gain a greater understanding of the genetics and biological pathways of heart disease? We hope so.
Sigma® Life Science recently announced plans to work with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and Boston University on a project to evaluate potential biomarkers of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The development of antibody reagents targeting CVD biomarkers will expand the growing portfolio of over 38,000 monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies that Sigma Life Science currently offers, supporting the research that will lead to methods for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of CVD.
It is a tall order to fill, so where do we stand now? What are the current biomarkers for CVD?
Rho kinase (ROCK) may be part of the list for evaluation. Drug Discovery Today recently published an article highlighting Rho-kinase inhibition as a potential treatment method for cardiovascular diseases.
Identified as downstream targets of Rho, ROCKs are involved in a number of signaling pathways that impact cellular functions such as proliferation and gene expression but evidence is mounting that ROCKs also play a role in vascular inflammation.
Progressive inflammation of the arterial wall is a trademark sign of atherosclerosis and ROCK expression levels are elevated in both animal and human lesions (view ROCK1 Protein Expression data in YFG) that were studied. ROCK has also been shown to upregulate a number of pro-inflammatory molecules such as NF-kB and IL-6 (You can see everything that interacts with ROCK in it’s Interaction Network. Click the lines between the molecules to see the relationship details).
Is ROCK the main effector of arterial inflammation and could an inhibitor be a viable treatment option? Current studies are in place to determine if ROCK inhibitors can be used to treat a number of arteriosclerotic diseases such as atherosclerosis, stroke and heart failure as well as several smooth muscle cell (SMC) disorders such as asthma and glaucoma.
What biomarker targets will be next?
