Protein Could Be New Target to Reduce Damage After Heart Attack

Scientists have identified a protein that plays a key role in debilitating changes that occur in the heart after a heart attack.

According to research reported in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association, scientists have identified a protein that plays a key role in debilitating changes that occur in the heart after a heart attack. These changes often lead to fatal heart failure, which kills nearly 60,000 Americans each year. The findings suggest a possible future therapy for preventing or reducing heart muscle damage after a heart attack.

Researchers compared the effect of heart attacks in two groups of mice. One group was genetically engineered to lack fibronectin-EDA (FN-EDA), a protein that exists in the space surrounding cells and is important for processes such as cell migration and wound healing. The other mice were genetically normal.