Drug to repair heart attack damage

A drug designed to halt and repair heart attack damage could change the way thousands of patients are treated, according to a research published Tuesday. The medication mimics the action of a natural rescue and repair compound, and is designed to prevent further damage to the heart, American researchers were quoted here as saying. The drug also triggers the growth of new, healthy tissue. Each year, around 120,000 people in Britain have a heart attack, where the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot. The drug was used for the first time on patients last month, in a trial that will see 80 patients taking the four-day treatment. In the most serious type of heart attack, there is a prolonged interruption to the blood supply, resulting from a total blockage of the coronary artery, which causes extensive damage and, in many cases, death, doctors said. Treatments include medication to dissolve the blood clot and restore the blood flow to the heart, and surgery to widen the coronary artery. Survival and long-term effects hinge on the amount of the muscle that dies during the attack. The smaller the area affected, the greater the chance of survival and recovery. The new drug, known as "BB3", is designed not only to stop this damage, but also to generate new heart cells. The treatment mimics the action of a naturally occurring compound that boosts the growth of heart tissue, called hepatocyte growth factor. Studies show that this compound is a crucial part of the heart's natural repair 'tool-kit' and boosts growth by encouraging the creation of blood vessels, so increasing blood supply, and also protecting existing cells from further damage. In the new clinical trial at Yale University, patients who have had a heart attack will be given the drug through an intravenous drip over four days, the British media said. Researchers say that a number of other diseases may respond to the drug approach, too. A trial for a type of stroke, where an interruption of blood flow to the brain leads to widespread damage, is also scheduled to start soon. It is thought that the drug may block the cascade of damage that destroys brain cells following a stroke. It is this expansion of the injury that leads to the devastating consequences such as paralysis. Scientists are also using this compound in heart bypass surgery, to ensure that the new vein, which is taken from the leg and grafted into the heart, implants successfully in the organ and continues to thrive after the procedure.