Trial in UK - gene injection treatment for heart failure

[NewbieSlo]

A pioneering new treatment that allows damaged hearts to recover without the need for major surgery is being trialled by one of Britain’s leading medical institutions. The technique, which involves a simple injection, could aid the recovery of hundreds of thousands of heart failure patients. Heart transplants could even be consigned to history thanks to a trial by Imperial College, London, which aims to show for the first time that gene therapy could repair failing organs. e trial involves researchers introducing a gene, created in a laboratory, into heart failure patients to boost the production of a key protein, which they believe will allow the muscle to recover. Researchers say the treatment could offer a “viable alternative” to transplantation. The British Heart Foundation, which is funding the trial, said the discovery “offers genuine hope of an effective treatment in the near future”.

A study will take place in the UK with 24 patients enrolled in the study, 16 will be treated with the gene therapy and eight will be treated with a placebo.


For more info, visit:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h...t-failure-without-need-for-major-surgery.html

 

[Paleowoman]

Interesting what they are beginning to be able to do ! But I'm pretty sure it would not work with heart failure resulting from something like bicuspid aortic valve or valve damage from infection etc. Reading the article, it suggests that the causes of heart failure that they are referring to are due to heart attack, and those patients then need a heart transplant. Those patients can be helped with this proposed gene therapy as it works to help the heart muscle recover. Patients with valve problems would still need to get their valves repaired or replaced…first….then maybe they might benefit from this therapy too.

 

[NewbieSlo]

I absolutely agree with you. Still, some people with valve problem have week muscle as well, and for those, this might be beneficial.

For us, suffering from valve problems, still repair or replacement is the first step. As for repair, I have big hopes in CorMatrix and CardioCel technology, hopefully we will see big advancements and more and more repair instead replacement surgeries will be carried out. I also read, that Cardiocel has in pipeline replacement tissue valves, that should (at least so they plan) be more durable, that existing ones, thus suitable also for younger patients.