Drugs that repair damage to a gel-like layer in the tiny blood vessels of the heart could present a much-needed treatment for heart failure in people with diabetes, according to research. The gel-like layer—called the glycocalyx—lines the inside of blood vessels and acts like a sieve to regulate how nutrients move from the blood to the heart and other tissues in the body. Professor Simon Satchell looked at mice with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and discovered that the glycocalyx in the small blood vessels of the heart became damaged. They found that this damage was associated with increased...