Individuals with the disease hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia have vascular defects that lead to frequent hemorrhages. Franck Lebrin et al. now show that thalidomide, tested as a therapy in a small set of individuals with this disease, lowers the frequency of hemorrhaging and the need for blood transfusions. The authors tie the antihemorrhagic effects of thalidomide to its ability to promote blood vessel maturation through effects on PDGF-B expression by endothelial cells and on pericyte cell proliferation (pages 370–372).
- Franck Lebrin
- Samly Srun
- Christine L Mummery
