Gene therapy trial: The virus that could help damaged hearts

A ground-breaking new trial could provide hope for thousands living with heart failure

The former IT consultant is taking part in a ground breaking trial for a new gene therapy Albanpix The former IT consultant is taking part in a ground-breaking trial for a new gene therapy [Albanpix]

SOME days 50-year-old David Palmer can barely get out of bed and walk to the bathroom as his heart is so badly damaged. Now the father-of-two is hoping a revolutionary new treatment will come to his rescue.

The former IT consultant is taking part in a ground-breaking trial for a new gene therapy that aims to tackle heart failure.

It involves injecting a gene which could stimulate heart cells into producing a vital protein called SERCA2a.

Research shows this protein has the capacity to repair worn-out heart muscle cells.

Animal studies and early results from the US, where human trials are also under way, suggest the gene therapy can combat the debilitating fatigue that leaves sufferers barely able to move.

The breakthrough treatment could bring new hope to those who no longer respond well to other treatments and may be too ill to undergo a heart transplant.

Heart failure can develop after a heart attack when the organ’s muscles are left damaged. As the remaining healthy heart muscle works harder to pump blood round the body, it can become enlarged causing severe tiredness and shortness of breath.

Some patients respond well to drugs, such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors, designed to limit the damage and preserve heart function. However there is nothing that can actually reverse the initial damage.

The new therapy, being pioneered at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, involves hiding a gene inside a specially-adapted virus. The virus is harmless but is able to latch on to muscle cells in the heart.

 doctor, heart failure, virus, treatmentHeart failure can develop after a heart attack when the organ's muscles are left damaged [GETTY]

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Once it has attached, the gene inside is able to switch on production of the SERCA2a protein – strengthening cells which have been left weakened by long-term damage.

“In animal studies the treatment was able to make the heart smaller and in the first trial in patients there was also a suggestion that the hearts could get smaller while others just stopped getting bigger,” says Dr Alexander Lyon, British Heart Foundation senior lecturer and consultant cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College London.

“But it will be another two or three years before we have the results of our study.”

As it is a placebo-controlled trial, which means half the 200 or so volunteers will get the real gene therapy and the rest a dummy version, David, from Norfolk, has no idea which group he is in.

His health started to fail when he was only in his late 20s. A routine check detected a heart murmur which may have been brought on by something as innocuous as a cold.

Over the years his heart has become progressively more damaged, so much so that he has been told he would be unlikely to survive a transplant operation.

However just four months on from his treatment he thinks his condition is showing a slight improvement.

“It can take several months but I have already noticed, for example, that I need only half the amount of diuretic drugs that I used to take.”

Diuretics are pills taken to help with fluid retention, a common symptom of heart failure.

David adds: “I know it’s not a cure but the best I can hope for is that my heart is stabilised and I can live a bit longer.”

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