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Heart attack damage could be reversed by reactivating dormant gene


Heart attacks are dangerous not just because of the initial event, but the long-term damage afterwards. Now scientists have discovered a dormant gene that could be reactivated to regenerate heart tissue, preventing the progression to heart failure.

They then applied it to mouse hearts, which also can’t regenerate, and found that it still works to repair damage there too, suggesting a pathway to a potential treatment in humans. “We looked at the activity of genes in damaged and healthy parts of the heart,” said Dennis de Bakkers, first author of the study. It’s active during embryonic development but switches off soon after birth, so reactivating this dormant gene could help repair damage after a heart attack.

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Photo of dormant gene

dormant gene

Photo of Heart attack damage

Heart attack damage