Experimental treatment promotes repair after heart attack damage in animal study

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"The treatment ‘reawakens’ heart muscle cells so they start to divide and help repair damaged muscle.

In a study in mice, this produced a stronger heartbeat and increased the amount of blood pumped through the heart with each heartbeat by around 10%, compared with mice that received a mock treatment, following a heart attack. ...

The treatment uses mRNA therapy to temporarily activate two proteins inside heart cells, called Myc and Cyclin T1, promoting repair of heart tissue. ...

Reassessing the mice after 28 days and after 12 weeks showed that the improvement in heart function is long-lasting. ..."

From the abstract:

"Myc is an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor that is necessary for the restoration of tissues in multiple regenerative species.

The adult mammalian heart lacks regenerative capacity and cardiomyocytes fail to divide following damage-induced signaling.

Transgenic expression of Myc and cyclin T1 can drive substantial adult cardiomyocyte proliferation to replace lost cardiomyocytes.

Here, using transgenic models and a prototypical mRNA therapeutic, we show that Myc and cyclin T1 require transient induction for cardiomyocyte proliferation that leads to myocardial repair and functional recovery after myocardial infarction in mice.

This research provides a strategy to translate Myc–cyclin T1 coexpression for cardiac regeneration to address serious unmet needs in the treatment of cardiovascular disease."

Experimental treatment promotes repair after heart attack damage in animal study | University of Cambridge "Scientists have developed a treatment that promotes the regeneration of damaged heart muscle following a heart attack, which has shown promising results in mice.

Since adult heart cells can’t repair themselves once damaged, this represents an important step towards a potential curative treatment for heart disease."

A transient modified mRNA encoding Myc and cyclin T1 improves cardiac function after myocardial injury (open access)

Close up of a mouse heart 24 hours after injecting the mRNA therapy, modified to glow green. This shows how the mRNA surrounds the damaged heart cells in the bottom right section.

Cross sections of a whole mouse heart, following injection with the mRNA therapy. The areas glowing green mark cells that successfully took up the therapy, helping the scientists get a 3D view of where it can reach within the heart.