| abstract |
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for the treatment of intimal smooth muscle cell hyperplasia, restenosis following percutaneous coronary intervention, post-transplant vasculopathy, and pulmonary hypertension More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and pharmaceutical compositions for delivering podocan or podocan inhibitors to the arterial system of an animal, thus resulting in the down-regulation or up-regulation, respectively, of smooth muscle cell (SMC) functions such as SMC proliferation and migration Up-regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and/or migration by podocan inhibition results in the treatment of vulnerable plaques, while down-regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and/or migration via podocan delivery and/or up-regulation results in the treatment of intimal smooth muscle cell hyperplasia, restenosis following percutaneous coronary intervention, post-transplant or graft vasculopathy and pulmonary hypertension. |