Discovery May Lead to Targeted Heart Disease Treatments

[TECH NEWS]

University of Guelph (Canada) researchers have found the location and effect of abnormal heart proteins that can cause cardiac failure, a discovery that points to potential new ways to treat the most costly health problem in the world. The study appears today in PLoS ONE, a peer-reviewed international journal published by the Public Library of Science. It is available online: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036821 “In order to cure heart disease, you have to understand its fundamental properties,” said study author John Dawson, a molecular and cellular biology professor. “So we looked at variants of naturally occurring proteins that are found in people with heart disease.” Heart disease and stroke is the leading cause of death in Canada, killing tens of thousands each year. Treating cardiovascular disease costs more than $20 billion a year in physician and hospital costs, lost wages and reduced productivity. The study examined gene abnormalities for the actin protein and its role in heart failure. As the most abundant protein in the body, actin helps in vital processes including muscle movement. Abnormal actin genes are linked to heart diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

 May 8, 2012, University of Guelph / Eurekalert