SYDNEY, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have created what they say is the most detailed map yet of chemical signals that control heart function, opening new avenues for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease.
The online resource, called Cardiopedia-Ligand, catalogues how human heart tissue responds to 87 biological signaling molecules that interact with receptors found on heart cells, providing a reference tool for researchers, clinicians and industry, according to a statement released recently by Australia's QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.
Published in Cell Stem Cell, the study used miniature human heart tissues grown in laboratories, known as human cardiac organoids, to measure how strongly the tissue contracted and which genes were switched on or off, generating a comprehensive dataset that links biological signaling with heart function and gene activity.
"For the first time, we've brought all that information together into a single resource that researchers can use to better understand heart disease," said Prof. James Hudson, head of QIMR Berghofer's Cardiac Bioengineering Laboratory.
The atlas has been made publicly available online for researchers worldwide. The five-year project is the first phase of a broader initiative.
The next stage will screen about 2,000 drug compounds to build a more comprehensive map of heart biology and responses to potential therapies, researchers said.
"The goal is to increase the number of drugs that are effective for heart failure that actually act on the heart tissue. The grand vision of the project is that, for personalized medicine, someone can go to the hospital and their genetics and biomarkers are exactly matched to an effective drug," Hudson said. ■