In pre-clinical trials, University of Otago researchers have discovered a promising new therapy that has the potential to be used clinically for improving survival rates for people who suffer a heart attack.
In pre-clinical trials, University of Otago researchers have discovered a promising new therapy that has the potential to be used clinically for improving survival rates for people who suffer a heart attack.
The researchers from HeartOtago - a group of cardiovascular researchers and clinicians located at the University and Dunedin Hospital - the Brain Health Research Centre and Centre for Neuroendocrinology, found blocking specific oxytocin cells within the brain after a heart attack dramatically improved survival outcomes. Their research was recently published in biological sciences journal Communications Biology.
“Our results strongly advocate blockade of oxytocin cells as a promising emerging therapy for the acute management of an acute heart attack,” Associate Professor Daryl Schwenke says.
An acute heart attack, or myocardial infaction, is one of the most common causes of death in industrialised societies. Often death can occur within the first few hours following a heart attack due to a dangerous over-stimulation of nerves that control heart function.
Read more at University of Otago
Image: This is Associate Professor Daryl Schwenke from the University of Otago, New Zealand. (Credit: University of Otago)
