Medical Breakthrough For Organ Transplants And Cardiovascular Diseases By Flemish Researchers

Leuven, Belgium - When a blood vessel clogs up, a localized deficiency of oxygen results, causing the surrounding tissue to die. However, working with mice, VIB scientists connected to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven have been able to prevent muscular tissue with severe hypoxia from dying. The muscles seem to ‘adapt’ to the lack of oxygen - a metabolic tour de force that animals also use when hibernating, but that has remained a mystery until now. For the medical world, this discovery signifies an important step forward in limiting damage after a heart attack, for example, or for better preservation of organs awaiting transplants.