CaMKIIδ gene editing- A base hit for the heart.

Abstract

In the January 13, 2023 issue of Science, Lebek and colleagues demonstrate the potential broad utility of in vivo base editing as a gene therapy for heart disease[1]. Following myocardial infarction, it is a race against time to begin thrombolytic therapy and percutaneous coronary intervention to restore blood flow to the infarcted region. Revascularization of the infarcted artery is performed to prevent cardiomyocyte death, fibrosis, and heart failure. However, these procedures come with their own adverse sequelae of ischemia-reperfusion injuries, which include myocardial stunning, microvascular obstruction, arrhythmias, and lethal injury[2]. Therapies that can either prevent cardiomyocyte injury and death, or promote regeneration of the infarcted tissue are desperately needed. Such approaches should use common molecular pathways that are applicable to all patients.