New study reveals insight into mechanisms behind heart failure

A newly published UK study into heart failure has revealed insights into how future treatments could tackle the underlying mechanisms that cause the condition.

The University of Bristol's school of physiology and pharmacology has led research into the vital role played by two separate but similar proteins in cooperatively adjusting the amount of calcium inside the heart cells.

Calcium is vital for ensuring the heart beats strongly and regularly, but for heart failure patients this intracellular calcium release can become less tightly controlled, leading to cardiac arrhythmias.

However, having now identified the role the FKBP12 and FKBP12.6 proteins can play in this function, researchers are hoping to use the knowledge as the basis for developing new treatments.

Dr Rebecca Sitsapesan at the University of Bristol added: "Diseases of the heart and circulatory systems are the main cause of death in the UK and account for almost 191,000 deaths each year."

Earlier this month, research from the US published in The Lancet suggested a potential way in which cardiac stem cells could be used to repair damage following a heart attack.