title: Gene transfer in cardiac myocytes.
abstract: Congestive heart failure (CHF) represents an enormous clinical problem and remains a leading cause of death despite advances in treatment. New treatments significantly impact mortality and disease course; they do not cure the underlying pathology. Gene transfer, the ability to genetically reprogram the heart in relevant cardiovascular disease models, allows testing the role of specific molecular pathways in disease pathogenesis. Potential therapeutic intervention targets can be then identified and approached with the full spectrum of therapeutic options, including traditional pharmacology, targeted synthesis of small molecule agonists or antagonists, biological agents (cells, antibodies, genetic material), or gene-based therapy. Lessons gleaned from gene transfer experiments on local modulation of cardiac genetic programs will guide attempts to transform early investigations into established therapy.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College, London, UK.
authors.forename: Babar B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Chaudhri
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: del Monte
authors.forename: Sian E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.forename: Roger J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hajjar
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome