Sarcoplasmic reticulum and calcium cycling targeting by gene therapy.

Although progress in conventional treatments is making steady and incremental gains to reduce mortality associated with heart failure (HF), there remains a need to explore potentially new therapeutic approaches. HF induced by different etiologies such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, infection or inflammation results generally in calcium cycling dysregulation at the myocyte level. Recent advances in understanding of the molecular basis of these calcium cycling abnormalities, together with the evolution of increasingly efficient gene transfer technology, has placed HF within the reach of gene-based therapy. Furthermore, the recent successful completion of a phase 2 trial targeting the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump ushers in a new era for gene therapy for the treatment of HF.