Stopping heart damage turning into heart failure.

11βHSD1 inhibition: a distinctive acute-MI intervention for promotion of peri-infarct vascularization, reduction of infarct expansion and prevention of heart failure      

Developments in heart attack treatment and research mean that 7 in 10 people will now survive a heart attack. But this isn’t the end of the story for many people. After a heart attack, the heart is often damaged and can continue to change shape as it attempts to deal with this damage. The change of shape and loss of function can result in heart failure – a debilitating condition that can make it difficult to even climb the stairs or get dressed. There is no cure for heart failure and it is fatal. Dr Gillian Gray studies the damage that the heart undergoes after a heart attack, specifically studying the portions of the heart muscle that die afterwards, and looks for ways to stop this damage worsening and progressing to heart failure. In a multi-centre collaboration this project will study drugs called 11ß hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11ßHSD1) inhibitors to limit heart damage after a heart attack. In mice, Dr Gray’s group have already shown that these drugs can promote blood vessel formation around the dead or dying heart muscle, limit the spread of the dying tissue, and prevent the development of heart failure. If successful, this project aims to complete the next stage in pigs to bring this class of drugs further towards helping people who have had a heart attack. Encouragingly, 11ßHSD1 inhibitors have already progressed safely into Phase 2 development by Astra Zeneca, a collaborator in this project.