American scientists have developed a new technique for the treatment of heart failure by injecting a substance that can reduce the size of the heart. This technique can theoretically save hundreds of thousands of lives.
The author of the study is an authoritative expert in the field of cardiology Dr. Roger Hajjar, who works at the Mount Sinai hospital in New York. He has already tested the drug successfully on laboratory mice. His technique is based on the use of gene therapy called SUMO-1, which is capable of reducing the hearts, increased due to the illness. Reducing the size of the heart can improve its performance and increase the blood flow.
Heart failure is the inability of the heart to pump enough blood. The disease can be treated but not cured, and it is chronic.
Dr. Hajjar and his colleagues found that SUMO-1 gene is a missing link that does not allow the heart to return to normal functioning. The scientist believes that SUMO-1 gene therapy should be used primarily in the treatment of heart failure, and especially its most severe forms.
By the way, it is the second type of gene therapy in Mount Sinai. The first one is called CUPID, and it uses SERCA2 gene, necessary for the production of the enzyme which removes calcium from the cells. The gene is delivered into the body by means of a harmless virus. The therapy has already gone through successful clinical trials on animals and humans.
