Dartmouth scientists have demonstrated the importance of the gene Plvap and the structures it forms in mammalian physiology in a study published in December by the journal Developmental Cell. “The knowledge generated and the animal models created will allow a better understanding of the role of the gene in diseases and will help validate its usefulness as a therapeutic or diagnostic target,” said lead author Radu V. Stan, MD, associate professor, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and member of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC).