Learning tricks from ticks to treat autoimmune myocarditis

Targeting the chemokine network in myocarditis using ligand traps derived from tick saliva

Occasionally, a virus or bacterial infection can lead to severe and potentially fatal inflammation of the heart muscle known as autoimmune myocarditis. There is currently no specific treatment for this condition. However, Professor Shoumo Bhattacharya and his team think that they may be able to learn from ticks to design drugs targeted at this problem. During autoimmune myocarditis, chemicals called chemokines are released in the heart and attract cells that cause inflammation. If you’ve ever been bitten by a tick you will know that, unlike a mosquito bite, you do not feel it. Ticks need to feed for a long time, so they inject proteins that block your body's chemokines and prevent painful inflammation. They have identified 31 of these tick molecules (called evasins) and in this project they will study which chemokines they block, and trial them in mouse with autoimmune myocarditis. The aim is to take these anti-inflammatory molecules from ‘bug to drug’ and design a new life-saving medicine for this dangerous heart condition.