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Samba is the name chosen for a molecule discovered during research of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB) of l & # 39; USP. Its importance is indisputable: it paves the way for the development of more effective drugs against heart failure. The name of the most famous Brazilian rhythm in the world has not been chosen at random: the molecule prevents proteins from compromising the production of energy inside the heart cells. That is, they have enough fuel to not die before the hour and keep on beating the heart.
Samba treatment stopped the progression of heart failure in animals, suggesting possible clinical use. The research, conducted in cooperation with Stanford University (USA), is described in an article published in Nature Communications this Friday, January 18th.
"The vast majority of medications available Today, the treatment of heart failure was developed in the 1980s and acts outside the heart cell," says Professor Julio Cesar Batista Ferreira, Research Coordinator "We need more effective drugs that control the critical processes of the suffering heart cell, which can increase the duration and quality of life of patients. But it's a daunting task. "
The molecule was named Samba (selective antagonist Mitofusin 1 and Beta2-PKC badociations) and has been the subject of research since 2009. In addition to the molecule, the group of researchers, under the coordination of Ferreira, have discovered a critical mechanism of cardiac degeneration, badociated with dysfunction mitochondria, a part of the cell responsible for energy production. "The mitochondria works like a car engine, where operating problems lead to wasted fuel and increased pollution," says the professor. "This is what happens in the heart of patients with heart failure."
In the heart, there are cells that relax and contract, a movement that causes the organ to pump blood circulating in the body. Heart failure occurs when there is a deficiency in the functioning of these cells. The Ferreira group has identified a major defect in the functioning of mitochondria during heart failure. This defect, regulated by the interaction between two cardiac proteins, resulted in a reduction in the size of the mitochondria and, consequently, a reduced ability to produce energy and a greater release of pollutants from the cardiac cells. from parts of proteins (peptides) acting in cardiac cells, Samba has been synthesized in the laboratory and designed to block the interaction of the two proteins and prevent their harmful action. The results showed that treatment alone with the molecule was able to slow the progression of heart failure in animals. It is now necessary to test the possible additive effects of Samba when co-administered with drugs already used clinically. The molecule represents a new hope to improve the treatment of heart failure by increasing the quality and life expectancy of patients. , now about five years old for most of them. "The patent application for the molecule and its application in the United States have already been requested," said Ferreira. The next step is to make the molecule available to researchers so that it tests for other diseases and seeks out private sector partners interested in developing the drug itself, a process that may take about ten years to complete. ", explains Ferreira According to the Organization World health, heart failure is the last stage of several cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in the world.In 2015, the number of people affected by these diseases amounted to 23 million in the world in 2015. Heart failure can be caused by an infarction, hypertension or heart valve problem, for example. No. In Brazil, according to a study published in 2015 to Brazilian Archives of Cardiology, there would be 100,000 new cases of heart disease each year, with 50,000 deaths. They also had a significant financial impact on the health system, with a cost of 56.2 billion rubles in 2015. Of this total, heart failure accounted for 22.1 billion pesos. Adapted from Information provided by the BPI University Press Service More information: (11) 5549-1863 / 5081-5237
Proposed model of cardioprotection by Samba in cases of post-infarction heart failure: a molecule prevents harmful proteins from interacting with cardiac cell mitochondria, thus maintaining energy production and avoiding cell death
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