The official MedZine Blog

From June 20^th to 25^th the 25^th biannual meeting of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) will take place in Toronto. The organisers expect more than 8,000 participants from all over the world who will attend the presentations on various haemorrhagic disorders and thrombosis issues.

The ISTH congress will host five plenary lectures that will cover anything from genetics to therapies and prevention. One of the speakers will be Professor Dr. Stefanie Dimmeler, director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Center for Molecular Medicine at the University of Frankfurt, with her talk on long non-coding RNAs and their role as therapeutic targets in cardiovascular diseases.

Noncoding stretches of DNA, formerly known as junk DNA, now do seem to have a function after all.
Many different RNA copies have been found in the cell, ranging from microRNAs to long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) which have over 200 nucleotides.

Interestingly, expression of specific lncRNA was associated with the risk for coronary atherosclerosis, carotid arteriosclerosis, peripheral artery disease and other vascular diseases. On Thursday the 25^th of June, from 9.30 to 10.15 AM, Prof. Dr. Dimmeler will elaborate on the therapeutic options that might ensue. ISTH will broadcast her presentation on a live stream.