A gene that quietly builds the disease: switching it off eased a rare lung condition in rats

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare, incurable condition in which the lung's arteries slowly thicken and stiffen, pushing blood pressure dangerously high and straining the heart. Today's medicines mostly widen the vessels to ease symptoms; none stop the vessel changes themselves. Now researchers in South Korea, the USA and China have found a possible culprit: a gene called EBF1, best known for guiding immune cells, switches on a newly discovered group of artery-lining cells that grows as the disease worsens. When the team quieted the gene in rats — even after the disease had already set in — pressure on the right side of the heart fell and the heart muscle thickened less. This is early work in animals, not yet a treatment for people, but it points to a new kind of therapy that tackles the disease's root changes instead of just its symptoms. The study was published in the journal Circulation Research.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation