We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
ARAB HEALTH - INFORMA

Download Mobile App




First-Of-Its-Kind Experimental Therapy Enhances Tissue Repair After Heart Attack

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 29 Oct 2024
Print article
Image: ENPP1 is expressed in region of scarring after heart injury. Cardiac muscle shown in red and ENPP1 in green demonstrates expression of ENPP1 in region of scar formation (Photo courtesy of Arjun Deb Lab/UCLA)
Image: ENPP1 is expressed in region of scarring after heart injury. Cardiac muscle shown in red and ENPP1 in green demonstrates expression of ENPP1 in region of scar formation (Photo courtesy of Arjun Deb Lab/UCLA)

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for one-third of all annual fatalities. Following a heart attack, the heart's natural regenerative ability is limited, resulting in the formation of scar tissue to preserve structural integrity. However, this rigid scar tissue hampers the heart's ability to pump blood effectively, leading to heart failure in many patients, half of whom do not survive beyond five years. There is an urgent need for innovative therapies. Scientists have now developed a first-of-its-kind experimental therapy that has the potential to improve heart repair after an attack, thereby preventing heart failure.

The new therapeutic approach, developed by researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA (Los Angeles, CA, USA), focuses on enhancing heart function post-heart attack by blocking a protein known as ENPP1. This protein contributes to increased inflammation and scar tissue formation, which worsen heart damage. Their findings, published in Cell Reports Medicine, could mark a significant advancement in post-heart attack treatments. The experimental therapy utilizes a therapeutic monoclonal antibody engineered by the research team. This targeted drug therapy aims to mimic human antibodies and block ENPP1 activity, which the researchers previously identified as elevated after a heart attack.

In their experiments, the researchers found that a single dose of the antibody significantly improved heart repair in mice, preventing substantial tissue damage, minimizing scar tissue formation, and enhancing cardiac function. Four weeks after a simulated heart attack, only 5% of the animals treated with the antibody developed severe heart failure, compared to 52% in the control group. This innovative approach could be the first to actively promote tissue repair in the heart following a heart attack, contrasting with existing therapies that primarily focus on preventing further damage. This effectiveness is linked to the antibody's design, which targets cellular communication, benefiting various cell types in the heart, including cardiac muscle cells, endothelial cells that form blood vessels, and fibroblasts that contribute to scar formation.

Preliminary findings from preclinical studies also indicate that the antibody therapy safely reduced scar tissue formation without heightening the risk of heart rupture—a common concern after a heart attack. Nonetheless, the researchers recognize the need for further investigation into the potential long-term effects of inhibiting ENPP1, including possible adverse impacts on bone mass or calcification. The research team is preparing to advance this therapy into clinical trials. They plan to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this winter, with the aim of initiating first-in-human studies in early 2025. These studies will involve administering a single dose of the drug to eligible patients shortly after a heart attack, facilitating the heart's self-repair during the critical initial days following the cardiac event. While the current emphasis is on heart repair post-heart attacks, the research team is also investigating the therapy's potential applications for repairing other vital organs.

“The mechanisms of tissue repair are broadly conserved across organs, so we are examining how this therapeutic might help in other instances of tissue injury,” said senior author Dr. Arjun Deb, a professor of medicine and molecular, cell and developmental biology at UCLA who led the research. “Based on its effect on heart repair, this could represent a new class of tissue repair-enhancing drugs.”

Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
New
Medical-Grade POC Terminal
POC-821
New
Surgical Monitor
LMD-1530MD

Print article

Channels

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: In appropriate patients, cure rates for testicular cancer are excellent with open surgery (Photo courtesy of IU School of Medicine)

Traditional Open Surgery for Lymph Node Removal Remains Gold Standard for Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer is significantly less common than breast or prostate cancer but remains the most prevalent solid tumor in males aged 15 to 35. For the right patients, the cure rates for this type of... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The portable biosensor platform uses printed electrochemical sensors for the rapid, selective detection of Staphylococcus aureus (Photo courtesy of AIMPLAS)

Portable Biosensor Platform to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections

Approximately 4 million patients in the European Union acquire healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections each year, with around 37,000 deaths directly resulting from these infections,... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The acoustic pipette uses sound waves to test for biomarkers in blood (Photo courtesy of Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder)

Handheld, Sound-Based Diagnostic System Delivers Bedside Blood Test Results in An Hour

Patients who go to a doctor for a blood test often have to contend with a needle and syringe, followed by a long wait—sometimes hours or even days—for lab results. Scientists have been working hard to... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.