GENE therapy could soon be used to treat heart failure. Initial results suggest the treatment is both effective and long-lasting.
When the heart can’t pump enough blood, fluids collect in the body’s tissues, causing swelling, shortness of breath and fatigue. In the worst cases, the only treatment is a new heart, but many patients die waiting for a donor.
While heart failure has many causes, Kenneth Chien at the University of California, San Diego, and his team have shown that a common feature is an overactive protein called phospholamban or PLN. In healthy people it helps regulate the activity of…
