Modelling gene networks

Find out about what Rob Krams, Professor of Molecular Bioengineering at Imperial and his team have been developing.

Rob Krams is Professor of Molecular Bioengineering at Imperial. His research group is using synthetic biology – the field of identifying and synthesising gene networks in cells – to develop better diagnostic tools for patients suffering from ‘vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques’; unstable lesions that form in the blood vessels of advanced atherosclerotic patients.

What is atherosclerosis and why have you targeted it?

It is a disease in which plaque builds up inside arteries. One third of patients with advanced atherosclerosis die in the UK and Europe and 70 per cent of these patients have an advanced vulnerable plaque. The plaques sit in the vessels and upon physical exertion, the blood pressure rises, which ruptures this plaque and leads to abrupt closure of your vessels. This can lead to brain damage and heart attacks.

How are you approaching this problem?

We cannot be sure if an atherosclerotic patient has a plaque as they display no symptoms, so we want to avoid using unnecessary, invasive diagnostic tools such as catheters. We are collaborating with several departments to develop non-invasive molecular imaging tools and using MRI contrast material as a diagnostic agent to identify molecules sitting in the plaque. We also use computing methods to identify networks of genes in atherosclerotic subjects and build these networks into the cells of mice, enabling us to evaluate how vulnerable plaques can be prevented.

How can this be developed for therapeutic purposes?

 We want to study isolated atherosclerotic gene networks, transfer these into mouse tissue and study whether the mice become better protected against atherosclerosis. If we can recognise a gene network that is specific to a targeted molecule then we can develop new specialised drug treatment. This is far more effective than statins – the drugs used to currently treat atherosclerosis – which affect the whole vascular system and carry significant side effects.