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Mich. (News 10) – Michigan State University researchers say a new discovery may help guide future treatments for a rare genetic cause of pulmonary hypertension in children — a condition in which high blood pressure in the lungs forces the heart to work harder
MSU researchers collaborated with scientists at Stanford University to study the TBX4 gene, which helps guide early lung development
Using a new model and three-dimensional imaging, the team found excess muscle building up in areas of the lung that make it harder for children to breathe
“What we are finding, and I think that is the newness of our discovery, is that not only do the blood vessels have more muscle, the airway, the tubes that help us breathe, they have more muscle, and the periphery, the entire lung, has more muscle around it,” said Dr. Ripla Arora, associate professor at the MSU College of Human Medicine
Researchers said the finding helps explain how the disease progresses over time and could help them identify ways to slow or stop the excess muscle from forming
The study does not offer a treatment. Researchers said it provides a new foundation for future options for children and their families
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