- Heart’s operation mystery solved
- 3D imaging reveals filaments
- Potential for better treatments
A Kentucky researcher has resolved a sixty-year-old enigma regarding the operation of the heart.
A team, in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts, generated three-dimensional images of the cardiac thick filaments, which aid in contracting the heart during contraction, at the molecular level using samples of donated hearts from patients.
For context, scientists stated that they were working with solitary strands of hair if the heart represented a continent.
Insights into Molecular Structure
Professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Kentucky, Kenneth Campbell, stated, “For the past six decades, scientists have been attempting to determine the structure of these filaments.”
“Since we now understand the molecular structure of cardiac thick filaments, we can attempt to develop more effective treatments.”
Understanding the Complexity
Mr. Campbell further stated, “Billions of cells comprise the heart.” Sarcomeres are the structural components of cells, and dense filaments are found within sarcomeres.
Each filament is composed of approximately 2,000 molecules organised in a highly intricate configuration that has eluded scientific comprehension for several decades.
As a result of the structure’s discovery, the cardiac muscle can be controlled with greater precision than previously believed, according to him and other medical professionals and researchers.
The professor further stated, “We were also enthusiastic about observing the arrangement of myosin binding protein-C, a protein associated with hereditary cardiovascular disease.” It provides an unprecedented level of insight into the molecular arrangement within the heart.
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The finding is relevant to Mr. Campbell’s home state because Kentucky has one of the highest cardiovascular disease rates.
“Better therapies are an absolute necessity,” he stated.
Kentucky is ranked among the states with the greatest mortality rates from heart disease, which ranks it among the top ten states, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Mr. Campbell oversees the Gill Cardiovascular Biorepository, from which the group obtained cardiac samples.
The institute receives samples for research from cardiovascular patients at the University of Kentucky.
Mr. Campbell stated, “With the assistance of a surgeon at the University of Kentucky HealthCare, we began collecting myocardium samples from organ donors and patients undergoing cardiac transplants.”
The myocardium comprises the cardiac muscle tissue.
‘Now we’ve amassed an enormous resource with approximately 15,000 samples from nearly 500 individuals,’ he continued. Additionally, research organizations globally disseminate these samples.
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