Searching for a treatment to combat over-contraction of the heart in people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Design and evaluation of novel compounds that reverse the increase in myofilament calcium affinity in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inherited disease of the heart muscle. It’s generally caused by genetic faults affecting the filaments that contract each muscle cell to create the heart’s pumping action. Professor Charles Redwood and his team have shown that the mutations that cause HCM made the filaments contract more readily than normal, leading to the thickening of the heart muscle seen in people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The Oxford team are looking for ways to reduce the over-contraction of the muscle filaments in HCM. Surprisingly, a component of green tea is known to have this effect, but very weakly. So, the researchers have made and tested a series of chemicals similar to the active ingredient in green tea. Now, they will be testing these chemicals in cells in the lab and in mouse models of HCM to identify the ones that could have potential as a successful treatment. HCM can cause sudden death in young people, and doctors currently have no specific medicines to control it. By taking inspiration from nature, this team are searching for a way to dampen heart contraction in the condition. If successful, it’s hoped this could become an urgently needed treatment for the dangerous disease.