It is estimated around 40-50% of all drugs in development will block one of the main ‘channels’ that carries electricity in the heart and, as a result, can cause heart rhythm problems called cardiac arrhythmias. Most sudden cardiac deaths are caused by cardiac arrhythmias.
Since 1996, nine drugs have been withdrawn from the market or had their use severely restricted due to this serious side effect.
In a paper published in this month’s edition of the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Victor Chang Institute in Sydney have discovered a key clue as to why this happens, by understanding how the ‘gates,’ which effectively ‘open’ and ‘close’ the channel, operate.
“Just like a set of metal wires that carry electricity to light up our streets, our body has a series of channels that carry tiny charged particles called ions, into and out of cells, to trigger a heartbeat,” said Professor Jamie Vandenberg, Head of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory at the Victor Chang Institute.
Read more here: Scientists Unlock the ‘Gates’ on Sudden Cardiac Death