New small-molecule treatment to help failing hearts
Small Molecule Therapeutic for Heart Failure
A small-molecule drug is being developed to restore heart cell receptors and help adults with heart failure pump blood better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11404763 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be hearing about a new pill-like drug that aims to keep the heart's adrenaline receptors working by stopping a blocker of the receptor-resetting enzyme. Researchers will use lab studies, animal tests, and comparisons with human heart tissue to refine the drug and show it can preserve receptor function. The team plans experiments that follow how the drug affects receptor recycling and heart pumping in preclinical models, with the goal of moving toward human testing. Work is being run from a major medical center that also looks at failing human hearts to guide development.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with chronic heart failure, particularly those with reduced beta-adrenergic receptor function or advanced disease, would be the most likely candidates.
Not a fit: People whose heart failure is driven by causes unrelated to beta-adrenergic receptor dysfunction (or those without impaired receptor signaling) may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the drug could improve heart contraction and slow worsening of heart failure by restoring normal receptor signaling.
How similar studies have performed: Related approaches that preserve receptor resensitization have shown protection in mouse models and altered signaling in failing human heart tissue, but have not yet become approved human therapies.
Where this research is happening
Cleveland, United States
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru — Cleveland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Prasad, Sathyamangla V — Cleveland Clinic Lerner Com-Cwru
- Study coordinator: Prasad, Sathyamangla V
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 below.