Health
Heart failure is reversed with new gene therapy in animal study: ‘Unprecedented recovery’
Heart failure has historically been irreversible, but the outcome of a new study suggests that could someday change.
At the University of Utah, scientists used a new gene therapy that was shown to reverse the effects of heart failure in a large animal study.
In the study, pigs with heart failure were found to have low levels of cardiac bridging integrator 1 (cBIN1), a critical heart protein.
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The scientists injected a harmless virus into the pigs’ bloodstreams to carry the cBIN1 gene into their heart cells, according to a university press release.
The pigs survived for the six-month duration of the study, while they would have been expected to die from heart failure without the gene therapy.
Senior study co-authors Robin Shaw, MD, PhD (left) and TingTing Hong, MD, PhD (right) are pictured in the lab. (Charlie Ehlert / University of Utah Health.)
In what the researchers called an “unprecedented recovery of cardiac function,” the IV injection appeared to improve heart function by increasing the amount of blood it can pump, which “dramatically improves survival.”
The pigs’ hearts also appeared to be “less dilated and less thinned out” after the therapy, “closer in appearance to that of non-failing hearts.”
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While previous attempts to treat heart failure improved function by just 5% to 10%, the gene therapy used in the new study resulted in 30% improvement, according to the researchers.
The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published on Tuesday in the journal npj Regenerative Medicine.
Microscope images of failing heart cells (top) and heart cells that received gene therapy (bottom). Cell boundaries, labeled in magenta, are more organized after gene therapy, and the level of cBIN1 protein (green) is higher. (Hong Lab)
“Even though the animals are still facing stress on the heart to induce heart failure, in animals that got the treatment, we saw recovery of heart function and that the heart also stabilizes or shrinks,” said TingTing Hong, MD, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Utah, in the release.
“We call this reverse remodeling. It’s going back to what the normal heart should look like.”
“A possible new therapy to cure heart failure is on the way,” Hong told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“A possible new therapy to cure heart failure is on the way.”
The researchers were surprised to find that the gene therapy worked so well in large animals at such a low dose, Hong added.
Co-senior author Robin Shaw, MD, PhD, director of the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute at the University of Utah, said the “unprecedented” study ushers in a “new paradigm” for heart failure treatments.
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“Given our treatment efficacy, the complex multi-organ syndrome of heart failure can be reduced to a treatable disease of failing heart muscle,” he told Fox News Digital via email.
“The toxicity of gene therapy increases with dose, so our low dose suggests that our gene therapy approach will be safe for patients.”
While gene therapy has historically been used for rare diseases, the study results suggest that it could also be an effective approach for “acquired disease,” a researcher said. (iStock)
While gene therapy has historically been used for rare diseases, the study results suggest that it could also be an effective approach for “acquired disease,” according to Shaw.
The study did have some limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
“Dose escalation and toxicology studies are still needed for the therapy to move to the next step [toward FDA approval],” Hong noted.
It is also uncertain whether the gene therapy will work for people who have obtained a natural immunity to the virus that carries the therapy, the researchers said.
The toxicology study is currently underway, and the team plans to start human clinical trials in the fall of 2025, Hong said.
Cardiologists weigh in
Dr. Jasdeep Dalawari, interventional cardiologist and regional chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health Company based in Ohio, was not involved in the research but shared his reaction to the findings.
“Gene therapy, precision medicine and personalized health care is the future.”
“Research in the animal phase is always interesting, but the application to human test subjects is necessary in terms of understanding if this approach would have the same effect in humans,” he told Fox News Digital.
While previous attempts to treat heart failure improved function by just 5% to 10%, the gene therapy used in the new study resulted in 30% improvement, according to the researchers. (iStock)
“That said, there are many genetic modifications happening in different diseases, like cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy, that are looking at a similar intervention – injecting healthy genes in the hopes of finding cures,” he went on.
“Gene therapy, precision medicine and personalized health care is the future, and I look forward to learning more about this.”
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Dr. Johanna Contreras, advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist at the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City, noted that conventional pharmacological interventions can help to alleviate cardiac stress and “systemic congestion,” but “for the most part, they do not address the pathogenic remodeling of failing heart muscle.”
About 6.7 million adults in the U.S. have heart failure, statistics show. (iStock)
“Gene therapy has emerged as a new modality that could interfere or modify the expression of several proteins, thus it could alter the pathologic remodeling of the heart muscle that exists in heart failure,” Contreras, who also was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
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Contreras reiterated that human trials are needed to determine whether this therapy will be effective outside animal models and to identify any “downstream effects.”
“I will look forward to learning more and eventually learning if this could one day be applied to humans with heart failure.”
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Americans consume foods every day that are marketed as “healthy,” when they could be quietly destroying their health, one doctor warns.
Dr. Mark Hyman, physician and co-founder of Function Health in California, says that much of America’s daily diet is filled with unhealthy ingredients.
“The amount of refined starches and sugars that are everywhere is just staggering to me, given what we know about how harmful they are,” he shared in an interview with Fox News Digital. “I don’t think people really understand.”
Hyman, author of the new book “Food Fix Uncensored,” said he’s “astounded” by what people are eating, especially for breakfast.
“People just eat sugar for breakfast,” he said. “They have muffins, they have bagels, they have croissants, they have sugar-sweetened coffees and teas.”
Dr. Mark Hyman is the author of the new book “Food Fix Uncensored.” (Function Health; Little, Brown Spark)
In addition to the traditionally sweet options for breakfast, some cereal brands and breakfast staples have adopted new “protein-packed” menu items and products, following health trends that encourage eating more protein.
“Highly processed food is not food.”
“Now, we’re seeing this halo of protein in certain things,” Hyman said, mentioning that many protein smoothies are “full of sugar.”
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The doctor also noted that some popular cereals are now marketed as having protein in them. “My joke is, if it has a health claim on the label, it’s definitely bad for you,” he said.
Instead of starting the day with a “quick fix” or processed food, Hyman suggests choosing whole sources of protein and fat for breakfast, adding that “if there’s a little carbohydrate in there, it’s fine.”
More products marketed as “high protein” have cropped up on supermarket shelves. (iStock)
For his own breakfast, Hyman said he has a protein shake with whey protein, avocado and frozen berries. Eggs and avocados are also a great protein-and-fat combo option, he added.
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“It’s not that complicated — people need to just think about their breakfast not being dessert,” he said. “No wonder we’re in this cycle of obesity and diabetes. One in three teenage kids now has type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. That’s just criminal.”
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Instead of counting calories and being in a caloric deficit as a way to lose weight and stay healthy, Hyman instead suggests focusing on how certain foods make you feel and how they impact your health.
“When you look at the way in which different types of calories affect your biology, you can just choose what you’re eating, and then you don’t have to worry about how much,” he told Fox News Digital.
In addition to the traditionally sweet options for breakfast, some cereal brands and breakfast staples have adopted new “protein-packed” menu items and products. (iStock)
“For example, if you eat a diet that doesn’t cause your insulin to spike — which is low in starch and sugar, higher in protein and fat — you won’t develop those swings in blood sugar, you won’t develop the spikes in insulin, you won’t deposit hungry fat … You will break that cycle.”
People are more likely to “self-regulate when they eat real food” instead of processed foods, which “bypasses the normal mechanisms of satiety, fullness and brain chemistry,” according to Hyman.
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“Ultraprocessed food and junk food or highly processed food is not food,” he said. “It doesn’t support the health and well-being of an organism. It doesn’t do that. It does the opposite.”
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Small fragments of plastic were found in the tumors of most prostate cancer patients, according to a new study from NYU Langone Health.
In past studies, microplastics have been found in almost every human organ and in bodily fluids, but their impact on human health still isn’t fully understood.
The researchers analyzed tissue samples from 10 patients with prostate cancer who underwent surgery to remove the entire organ.
Using visuals of both benign samples and tumor samples, as well as specialized equipment, the scientists identified plastic particles in 90% of the tumor samples and 70% of benign tissue samples, according to the study press release.
In past studies, microplastics were found in almost every single human organ along with bodily fluids, even the placenta. (iStock)
The cancerous tissue contained on average more than double the amount of plastic as healthy prostate tissue samples, the study found. This equates to about 40 micrograms of plastic per gram of tissue compared to 16 micrograms.
Researchers avoided contaminating the samples with other plastics by substituting standard tools with those made of aluminum, cotton and other non-plastic material, the release noted.
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The scientists say this is the first direct evidence linking microplastics to prostate cancer.
“By uncovering yet another potential health concern posed by plastic, our findings highlight the need for stricter regulatory measures to limit the public’s exposure to these substances, which are everywhere in the environment,” said senior study author Vittorio Albergamo, assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, in the release.
Using visuals of both benign samples and tumor samples, as well as specialized equipment, the scientists identified plastic particles in 90% of the tumor samples and 70% of benign tissue samples. (iStock)
The study findings were presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in San Francisco on Feb. 26.
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“What is most striking is not that microplastics were detected, but that they were found embedded within tumor tissue itself,” Dr. David Sidransky, oncologist and medical advisor at SpotitEarly, a startup that offers an at-home breath-based test to detect early-stage cancer, told Fox News Digital.
“While complete avoidance is unrealistic, people can take practical steps to reduce exposure.”
“We already know microplastics are present in water, air, blood and even placental tissue. Their detection in prostate tumors suggests systemic distribution and long-term bioaccumulation,” added Maryland-based Sidransky, who was not involved in the study.
Study limitations
Albergamo cautioned that a larger sample is needed to confirm the findings. Additionally, Sidransky noted that the presence of microplastics alone does not prove they cause cancer.
“Tumors can act as ‘biologic sinks,’ meaning they may accumulate circulating particles simply because of altered vasculature and permeability,” he said.
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A key unanswered question, according to the doctor, is whether microplastics are biologically active in ways that “promote DNA damage, immune modulation or chronic inflammation within the prostate.”
About one in eight men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The most actionable step men can take is appropriate screening and early detection, according to doctors. (iStock)
For those concerned about microplastics, Sidransky offered some insights.
“I believe the appropriate response is curiosity, not panic, and a commitment to understand more,” he said.
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“While complete avoidance is unrealistic, people can take practical steps to reduce exposure, such as minimizing heating food in plastic containers, reducing bottled water consumption when possible, and favoring glass or stainless steel alternatives.”
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The most actionable step men can take, however, is getting appropriate screenings to help ensure early detection, according to the doctor. Screening discussions should be individualized based on age, family history and other risk factors.
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