Pulmonella vaskulära förändringar vid KOL med fokus på VEGF

The vascular mediator Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) has a prominent role in vascular remodeling processes in the lung. However, VEGF exists in different splice forms where were little attention has been made to other isoforms than VEGF-A and almost none studies have emphasized how VEGF is involved in ECM changes during disease progression. Fibroblasts are key players in remodeling processes and secrete large amounts of VEGF and ECM molecules. In this project we investigate if different isoforms of VEGF are expressed and mediated during disease progression and evaluate how current drugs therapies affect VEGF synthesis and ECM changes in primary lung fibroblast obtained from patients with chronic lung disorders.