A drug that targets a heart receptor to treat right-sided (right ventricular) heart failure
Official title: Validation of a novel drug target to treat RV failure
Funded at Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco · NIH-11247533 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test a drug that activates a specific heart receptor to improve right-sided heart function for people with right ventricular failure, including those with pulmonary hypertension.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2024 |
| Project end | September 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I21BX006858-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11247533 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future trials would be people with right ventricular failure, especially those whose RV dysfunction is related to pulmonary hypertension or similar pressure/volume overload conditions.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with heart problems not driven by right ventricular dysfunction or those with severe multi-organ failure or contraindications to adrenergic drugs may not receive benefit.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective: researchers are confirming whether turning on the alpha‑1A adrenergic receptor in the right side of the heart can prevent and reverse right ventricular failure. They will use laboratory experiments, animal models, and tissue studies to measure right heart contraction, exercise capacity, muscle protein function, and markers of cell damage after treatment with the drug A61603. The team will also measure oxidative stress and blood markers like troponin and examine cell survival signaling to see if treatment restores healthier heart muscle. If the target is validated, the work would support moving this approach toward human trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a new medicine that improves right heart function and exercise tolerance for people with right ventricular failure.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical studies in animal models reported that chronic treatment with the alpha‑1A agonist A61603 both prevented and reversed right ventricular failure, but human testing has not yet been performed.
Where this research is happening
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Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Baker, Anthony J. — Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Baker, Anthony J.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.