Researchers are reporting discovery of a new way to reverse heart failure by getting the heart muscle to regenerate itself. The finding focuses on the Hippo pathway, a chemical signaling pathway that coordinates cellular actions. Scientists have known that this pathway is highly active following a heart attack, where it plays a role in preventing heart cells from regenerating. In a study using lab mice, researchers induced heart attacks in the mice to mimic heart failure in humans. They then turned off the Hippo pathway in the animals for about six weeks. They found that this shutdown caused their hearts to heal on their own, eventually recovering full function. The study, published in Nature, is funded by NHLBI.
Science Daily: Advanced heart failure reversed in an animal model
Baylor College of Medicine News (press release): Scientists reverse advanced heart failure in an animal model