Targeting PDE3/4 to allow regulation of cardiac calcium homeostasis in disease
The damage to the heart muscle caused by a heart attack can lead to heart failure, a condition where the heart cannot pump blood around the body efficiently. Beta blockers are a common medicine used to treat this condition. They block the activation of certain processes that stimulate the heart to pump but these processes also raise the risk of lethal irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). So, while beta blockers guard against arrhythmias, it is by dampening the contraction of an already weakened heart. A new treatment that helps the failing heart to pump without causing arrhythmia is urgently needed. Contraction of the heart muscle depends on the controlled movement of calcium ions in and out of each cell. Professor Baillie and his team will study the regulation of two key molecules that balance these cellular calcium levels and influence contraction of the heart muscle. They will design an alternative drug that could be used to improve the contraction of damaged heart muscle, with minimal side effects on the rhythm of the heart. By studying this new approach in rabbit heart cells, the scientists hope to design a new treatment that could be used to treat rabbits with heart failure and maybe for humans, if proven effective. This could help the heart to function without raising the risk of irregular heart rhythms.
Project details
| Grant amount | £127,189 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 January 2018 |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Reference | PG/17/26/32881 |
| Status | In Progress |
