MAPping out aneurysm

A team from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has uncovered a role for the MAP kinase pathway in aortic aneurysms caused by the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome. The findings could open up a new indication for inhibitors of the pathway already in the clinic for cancer, but it is unclear whether hitting the pathway will be useful for nonhereditary forms of aortic aneurysms.

Marfan syndrome affects up to 1 in 5,000 people and is caused by a mutation in the fibrillin 1 (FBN1) gene that leads to abnormal connective tissue throughout the body. The most serious clinical manifestation of the disorder is aneurysm due to weakening of the connective tissue of the aorta...