Key result
Gene delivery to modify cardiovascular ion channels is a promising alternative to traditional small-molecule drugs for treating hypertrophy, heart failure, and arrhythmias.
Gene therapy targeting cardiovascular ion channels presents a promising future alternative to traditional small-molecule drugs for conditions like heart failure and arrhythmias.
Should not yet change practice in HF or arrhythmias; leaves open rigorous trials to validate ion channel gene therapy.
Delivery of genes to the heart and vasculature for therapeutic purposes is an exciting strategy that is approaching clinical reality. Abnormalities of expression or function of ion channels is central to many cardiovascular diseases and gene delivery to modify ion channels is an appealing alternative to traditional therapy with small-molecule drugs. Potential therapeutic targets include hypertrophy and heart failure, atrioventricular node modification in atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia and hypertension. Numerous approaches for gene delivery are under development, including use of tissue-specific promoters in viral vectors. For other applications, such as development of biological pacemakers, cells can be transduced with pacemaker genes in vitro, and then the cells implanted within the heart. There are short-term hurdles to therapeutic gene delivery to modify cardiovascular ion channels, but in the intermediate and longer term, the outlook is promising.
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Télémaque et al. (2009) conducted a review in Cardiovascular diseases (hypertrophy, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, hypertension). Gene therapy to modify cardiovascular ion channels vs. Traditional therapy with small-molecule drugs was evaluated. Gene delivery to modify cardiovascular ion channels is a promising alternative to traditional small-molecule drugs for treating hypertrophy, heart failure, and arrhythmias.
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