BLOOD VESSEL BREAKTHROUGH

A DISCOVERY that makes it possible to speed up or slow down the growth of blood vessels could yield new ways of tackling cancer and heart disease, researchers believe.

Scientists at the University of California at San Diego identified a "switch" made from a short strand of genetic material that plays a crucial role in blood vessel renewal. They also produced a complementary molecule that can turn it off, and a way to deliver either particle into living tissue.

Effectively, the researchers put themselves into a biological driving seat that allowed them to press either accelerator or brake - ramping up blood vessel growth, or slowing it down, according to the journal Nature Medicine.