Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a condition of increased blood pressure within the arteries of the lungs which results in pulmonary vascular remodelling and right ventricular hypertrophy & failure. Our models span the analysis of tissue injury in the lungs and heart. Early stage development of new cardiovascular therapeutics frequently necessitates the evaluation of drug efficacy in disease models.
FEATURED DISEASE MODELS:
Pulmonary Hypertension
This is the gold standard pre-clinical model of PH and combines exposure to hypoxia (10% O2) with administration of the VEGFR2 antagonist, Sugen. This approach recapitulates many aspects of the human disease, producing a robust increase in pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary small artery remodelling, and right ventricular hypertrophy/dysfunction.
Pulmonary Fibrosis (Bleomycin)
The chemotherapeutic drug bleomycin causes a severe inflammation-driven pulmonary fibrosis that is accompanied by secondary PH (akin to that produced by hypoxia/Sugen, albeit less severe).
