CUTTING-EDGE HOPE FOR RARE HEART CONDITION

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CUTTING-EDGE HOPE FOR RARE HEART CONDITION
17 March 2007 - University of Bristol

An existing heart medicine may offer life-saving treatment for a rare heart condition, suggests new research from the University of Bristol, funded by the British Heart Foundation.

A team led by Professor Jules Hancox and Dr Harry Witchel have found research clues that could prevent life-threatening heart beat irregularities caused by ‘short QT syndrome’, a rare condition that runs in families.

People with SQTS can be prone to dangerous changes in heart rhythm, such as the life-threatening condition ‘ventricular fibrillation’. This is due to a defect in regulation of the electrical currents that control heart muscle contraction. The existence of SQTS was discovered in 1999, and medical treatments are very limited.

Professor Hancox said, “Knowledge of the existence of SQTS is so new that few cases have so far been diagnosed around the world, doctors will be able to identify it more as awareness grows.

“While it’s a very rare condition, the consequences could be serious, so knowing how to tackle it as people are diagnosed is vital.”

The team found that, in isolated cells, a heart medicine called disopyramide appears to be able to correct the molecular defect in one type of SQTS. If the results translate into humans, disopyramide could be a life-saving medicine for sufferers.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said “This demonstrates how research into understanding the fundamentals of heart conditions can provide the evidence we need to help more heart patients benefit from existing medicines.”

http://www.bris.ac.uk

About: University of Bristol
The University College of Bristol opened in 1876, after six years of discussions and controversy, in a bid to bring university culture to the provinces. It was the first college in the country to admit men and women on an equal footing.

The University’s Research and Enterprise Development (RED) division was launched in 2000 to stimulate and support an entrepreneurial culture and encourage the growth of technology-based business.

2003 saw the completion of the Dorothy Hodgkin building, named after the University’s fifth Chancellor. The £18 million building is dedicated to research in neuroendocrinology. 2003 also saw the opening of the University’s £5 million Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health.

Work on a new, state-of-the-art engineering building is due to be completed in early 2004. The £20 million BLADE project (Bristol Laboratory for Advanced Dynamics Engineering) will bring together the Engineering Faculty’s six departments to establish Europe’s most advanced dynamics engineering research facilities.

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