Developing a potential gene therapy to prevent heart failure after heart attack

Cardiac gene therapy with angiotensin-(1-9): Dissecting the underlying mechanism for preservation of cardiac function post-myocardial infarction

During a heart attack, part of the heart muscle is starved of its oxygen supply. This can permanently injure the oxygen-starved area which, over time, may lead to heart failure. Current treatments to preserve the heart muscle after heart attack are limited, so we urgently need to find new approaches to do this and prevent heart failure. This team are exploring the potential of a hormone known as angiotensin-(1-9) to prevent heart failure. One challenge of this as a potential therapy is that the hormone degrades very quickly. The team are addressing this challenge using a technique called gene therapy. By attaching the gene for angiotensin-(1-9) to a harmless virus, the gene is carried it into heart muscle cells where it starts manufacturing and releasing the hormone. Now, in mice, they will try to deliver the gene therapy after a heart attack. They will examine how well the hormone is produced in the heart cells, and whether it can – as they hope – help to protect those cells and prevent heart failure. If their results are positive, gene therapy with angiotensin-(1-9) could be a potential treatment to help people recover after a heart attack.