(March 31, 2014) Combatting the tissue degrading enzymes that cause lasting
damage following a heart attack is tricky. Each patient responds to a heart
attack differently and damage can vary from one part of the heart muscle to
another, but existing treatments can’t be fine-tuned to deal with this
variation.
University of Pennsylvania researchers have developed a way
to address this problem via a material that can be applied directly to the
damaged heart tissue. The potentially dangerous enzymes break down this
gel-like material, releasing enzyme inhibitors contained within. This
responsive, balancing approach is ideal for keeping enzymes at the right level
to minimize the long-term damage that can lead to congestive heart failure.