Fixing a tiny gene could help prevent heart failure

London: An international research team has identified a tiny piece of genetic material that plays a key role in heart failure, and shown how an experimental compound prevents the condition in mice, scientists reported on Sunday.

The researchers used a treatment from Regulus Therapeutics - a joint venture between US biotech companies Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Isis Pharmaceuticals - to block or "silence" tiny strands of ribonucleic acid called microRNA.

These genetic fragments regulate the making of genes into proteins, and in this case the researchers discovered how a failing heart had three-to-five-times more of a particular microRNA called miR-21.

"We view this new study as a landmark event in the advancement of microRNA therapeutics as a new class of innovative medicines," said Regulus chief Kleanthis Xanthopoulos.

"We believe that this is the first study to clearly demonstrate therapeutic efficacy for targeting microRNAs in an animal model of human disease."

Killer disease

Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is a condition in which the heart is unable to supply adequate blood flow to the body's organs. The condition affects 23 million people worldwide and kills 600,000 each year.

Significant or prolonged stress to the heart can cause the condition, which can occur following a heart attack, certain infections, high blood pressure and because of genetic causes.

In the study, researchers analysed hundreds of microRNAs within human and mouse heart samples to pinpoint miR-21 as a key cause of heart failure.