The Belfast Telegraph
28 January 2013
Boffins recreate fatal heart condition in lab
By John Von Radowitz
A rare heart condition that kills young athletes has successfully been recreated in the laboratory by scientists uncovering its secrets.
The inherited disorder, called right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C), can strike without warning.
It accounts for up to 5% of fatal cardiac arrests in people under the age of 65, and is the leading cause of sudden death among young athletes.
Now US researchers have managed to simulate the disorder by creating affected heart cells from patients’ skin.
The “disease-in-a-dish” reveals that the condition is linked to adult metabolism and abnormal activation of a protein called PPAR. Scientists hope their model will help them develop new treatments.
The research is published today in the latest online edition of the journal Nature.