Protein 'can speed up heart repair'

Dr. Craig R. Smith, chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic surgery at the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center uses a model of a human heart to explain to reporters the heart bypass surgery he performed on former President Bill Clinton, Monday, Sept. 6, 2004, in New York. Clinton was at high risk of a heart attack before his quadruple bypass surgery Monday, with several arteries well over 90 percent blocked, doctors said after the four-hour operation. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Dr. Craig R. Smith, chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic surgery at the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center uses a model of a human heart to explain to reporters the heart bypass surgery he performed on former President Bill Clinton, Monday, Sept. 6, 2004, in New York. Clinton was at high risk of a heart attack before his quadruple bypass surgery Monday, with several arteries well over 90 percent blocked, doctors said after the four-hour operation. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Published May 26, 2015

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London - A revolutionary treatment whereby the heart is encouraged to heal itself after a heart attack is being developed by scientists.

They believe it could help the 900 000 Britons living with heart failure whereby the organ has been severely weakened – usually by a heart attack – and for which there is currently no cure.

Scientists at Oxford University and University College London found that the heart can be prompted to repair itself naturally. It grows new lymphatic vessels, which are crucial to the repair process.

The researchers – in their work with mice – discovered this process could be sped up by adding a protein called VEG FC. They now hope to develop a treatment that works by triggering the heart to heal itself then encouraging the repair process using the protein.

Heart failure causes breathlessness, fatigue and increases the risk of stroke, blood clots and further heart attacks as the heart is unable to pump blood at the necessary pressure. Three quarters of patients die within five years of being diagnosed.

Dr Linda Klotz, of University College London, whose findings are published in the journal Nature, said: “These findings are an exciting new step in regenerative medicine and unlock the potential for us to help organs to heal themselves following a traumatic event like a heart attack.”

Daily Mail

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