Human MicroRNA-199a Can Stimulate Cardiac Repair1
As of today, there is an unmet clinical need for the permanent structural damage of the heart, in patients who have survived an episode of myocardial infarction. The expression of human microRNA-199a in infarcted pig hearts have been shown to stimulate cardiac repair. Delivery of this microRNA through an adeno-associated viral vector reduced scar size and increased muscle mass. However, persistent and uncontrolled expression of the microRNA resulted in sudden arrhythmic death. This study demonstrated the potential, that achieving cardiac repair is attainable in mammals, as long as dosage of this therapy is controlled.
References
1. Gabisonia K, et al. Nature 2019;569:418-422.
