Preventing bad heart remodelling after a heart attack

Modulation of myocardial remodelling by fibroblast-selective inhibition of p38-alpha signalling

During a heart attack, a blood clot in an artery vessel starves the heart of oxygen. As a result, cells in the heart die and it cannot function normally, which can lead to heart rhythm problems and heart failure. New methods are needed to ensure that damage to the heart muscle is kept to a minimum after a heart attack. Dr Neil Turner and his team from the University of Leeds will study special cells in the heart called fibroblasts, which help maintain its correct structure and are especially important after injury where they are involved in adverse cardiac remodelling. In the past it has been difficult to selectively study the activity of these cells in the heart without affecting the behaviour of other cells. But this team will use a new technique to study the function of fibroblasts after heart injury involving looking at the role of a particular protein called p38. The findings could lead to a greater understanding of how bad cardiac remodelling might be prevented in the future.