A novel drug undergoing trials for heart attack patients may significantly alter the treatment landscape for those suffering from severe heart attacks. This innovative therapy aims to reprogram the immune system, preventing inflammation and heart damage while promoting healing after such critical events. Research indicates that while advancements in clinical practice have lowered heart attack mortality rates by nearly 90 percent over the past 50 years, deaths resulting from heart failure have more than doubled in that timeframe.
Patients experiencing the most severe form of heart attack, known as ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (often referred to as a “widow-maker”), face a sudden blockage of the main artery supplying blood to the heart. Current treatments have not effectively managed the excessive immune response that follows these attacks.
Dr. Daniel Donner from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia leads an international team of over 30 researchers who have demonstrated the potential of a new treatment utilizing an antibody to modify the immune response. Their findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC BTS). The study revealed that this antibody can reprogram immune cells called macrophages, preventing the harmful inflammation that can worsen heart function following an attack.
Dr. Donner explained, “The antibody we tested blocks CD14, a receptor on the surface of these macrophages that acts as an antenna receiving multiple signals that drive inflammation after a heart attack. Blocking this receptor rewires these key immune cells, preventing them from inflaming the heart muscle, and instead promoting repair and recovery.” He emphasized that broad-spectrum suppression of the immune response could be dangerous, as these cells also play vital roles in healing and combating infections.
In support of this approach, Professor Kory Lavine, a cardiologist at Washington University in St Louis and co-author of the study, noted, “The unique feature of targeting CD14 is that instead of removing these cells like other immune suppressants, it allows us to put these cells to work regulating the rest of the immune system.” He added that this method avoids further deterioration of heart function.
Clinical trials for this treatment are currently underway in the USA, sponsored by Implicit Bioscience Ltd.. The clinical-stage antibody, known as Atibuclimab, has been approved for use in 30 patients who have recently experienced severe heart attacks or are facing deteriorating heart failure. According to Garry Redlich, CEO of Implicit Bioscience, early results from the trials are promising, with all 14 patients so far responding positively to the treatment.
Redlich elaborated, “We have also identified a very useful blood test that can predict whether this therapy is likely to work for a particular patient after their heart attack.” He highlighted the significance of this advancement, stating, “No existing immune-modulating treatment like this has a precisely matched blood test that can assure cardiologists that they are treating the right patient with the right drug at the right time.”
If these trials continue to show positive results, plans are in motion for Atibuclimab to undergo larger phase 2 clinical studies globally. The implications of this research could be substantial, potentially transforming the care provided to patients most at risk for heart failure following severe heart attacks.
