Patent ID: 7759083

Claim:
A screening method for a compound or a salt thereof that has activity to inhibit or promote proliferation of a vascular smooth muscle cell, comprising; contacting a vascular smooth muscle cell with a thrombin-antithrombin III complex, wherein said complex is substantially free of free thrombin and of heparin, in the absence of blood serum and in the presence or absence of a test compound, and then measuring the degree of proliferation of the cell, and; comparing the amount of proliferation of the cell in the presence of the test compound with the level of proliferation in the cell in the absence of the test compound; wherein an increase in the amount of proliferation of the cell in the presence of the test compound than in the absence of the test compound indicates that the test compound is a promoter of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and wherein a decrease in the amount of proliferation of the cell in the presence of the test compound than in the absence of the test compound indicates that the test compound is an inhibitor of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.