Does PMCA4 Inhibition Protect the Heart from Acute Cardiac Death Following Myocardial Infarction?

Coronary heart disease occurs when the inside of one or more of your coronary arteries become narrowed due to a gradual build-up of fatty deposits. This limits the blood flow in part of your heart muscle, causing inflammation and disrupting the normal heart rhythm. Ultimately, this can lead to a heart attack. In a previous BHF-funded project Dr Delvac Oceandy and his team discovered that mice are better able to survive after a heart attack if they do not have a molecule called PMCA4. PMCA4 is normally present in cardiofibroblast cells that make up the connective tissue of the heart, and is involved in transporting calcium out of cells. In this important project, the team will further study how removing PMCA4 protects the heart, and whether drugs blocking it have the same protective effect. This will take us a step closer to understanding if PMCA4 could be a target for new therapies which could prevent the potentially fatal consequences of a heart attack.