Science
Scientists to improve heart attack treatment by blocking heart damaging molecules
Scientists in Cambridge are to investigate how the treatment of heart attacks could be improved.
In the UK, most heart attacks are treated with an angioplasty – a procedure to quickly unblocked the coronary artery.
This has helped to improve the survival of patients who experience a heart attack. However, the sudden restoration of blood flow to the heart - called reperfusion - can damage it.
When fresh blood re-enters the heart tissue it produces a burst of damaging molecules called free radicals. These can permanently damage the heart, leading to a weakening of the heart muscle and, ultimately, to heart failure.
Now, Dr Thomas Krieg and his team at the University of Cambridge have been awarded £349,477 by the BHF to see if the release of these damaging molecules can be blocked using a drug they have developed.
Previous research by Dr Krieg discovered how the free radicals are produced, enabling them to design new and simple drugs to stop their production and release. If this was to prove successful, it could reduce the risk of heart attack survivors developing heart failure.
Improving treatment
Dr Thomas Krieg said: “Angioplasty is a life-saving treatment, so it is deeply frustrating for doctors that we do not yet have a therapy that can stop the heart being injured by reperfusion.
“Having identified how these damaging molecules are produced, we now want to explore the underlying mechanisms and develop new types of drugs further to see if they will also work in patients and improve their long-term survival.
“In addition, as similar types of injury occur during stroke, operations or organ transplantation these new types of drugs could be used as a treatment in many other important medical situations.”
Heart attacks are caused when the flow of blood to part of the heart is stopped. This block in the oxygen and nutrient supply causes cells in the heart to die.
In the UK, over 100,000 angioplasty procedures are carried out each year. During the procedure, a special kind of balloon is gently inflated to stretch the narrowed or blocked coronary artery. Many people also have a stainless steel mesh called a stent positioned within the artery which allows blood to flow normally again.
Simple solution
Our Research Adviser, Dr Tian Yu, said: “If this project is successful, it would point towards a relatively simple solution to a decades old problem. One that could improve the lives of tens of thousands of heat attack survivors each year.
“Worryingly, the ability of the BHF to fund crucial projects like this is under threat. Coronavirus had had a devastating impact on our fundraising. That’s why – together with other medical research charities – we are calling on the Government to commit to a Life Sciences Charity Partnership Fund.
“This will ensure that the BHF and other charities can continue to invest in the science that produces the breakthroughs that save and improve lives.”