Which immune cells could improve outcomes for people after a heart attack?

Modulating apoptosis for targeted elimination of CD4+CD28 T cells in acute coronary syndrome

Most deaths from coronary heart disease are caused by a heart attack. Understanding how the immune system plays a role in determining the outcome for people following a heart attack could reveal new ways to improve outcomes in the future. Our immune system is vital to fight infections and cancer, but immune cells called lymphocytes can also be harmful. Dr Ingrid Dumitriu and colleagues are studying inflammatory lymphocytes called CD28 T lymphocytes, which increase much more in people who have a heart attack compared to healthy people or those with stable angina (chest pain) – where angina attacks have an obvious trigger, like exercise. High numbers of CD28 T lymphocytes are linked to repeated heart attacks and a worse prognosis. Usually, lymphocytes die when they are no longer needed, such as after an infection has been cleared. Dr Dumitriu’s team have found that in people who’ve had a heart attack, CD28 T lymphocytes are resistant to death, and accumulate in the blood. In this project, they will try to find out why these cells are resistant to death and why they accumulate. This research may reveal ‘molecular switches’ that could be targets for new drugs to make these cells sensitive to death and prevent them accumulating, possibly resulting in an improved outcome after a heart attack.