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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Viral Transgene Expression in Rodent Hearts and the Assessment of Cardiac Arrhythmia Risk
Published on: July 27, 2022
Modification of cardiovascular ion channels by gene therapy
Sabine Telemaque1, James D Marsh
1Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, #832, 4301 W Markham Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
Abstract:
Delivery of genes to the heart and vasculature for therapeutic purposes is an exciting strategy that is approaching clinical reality. Abnormalities of expression or function of ion channels is central to many cardiovascular diseases and gene delivery to modify ion channels is an appealing alternative to traditional therapy with small-molecule drugs. Potential therapeutic targets include hypertrophy and heart failure, atrioventricular node modification in atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia and hypertension. Numerous approaches for gene delivery are under development, including use of tissue-specific promoters in viral vectors. For other applications, such as development of biological pacemakers, cells can be transduced with pacemaker genes in vitro, and then the cells implanted within the heart. There are short-term hurdles to therapeutic gene delivery to modify cardiovascular ion channels, but in the intermediate and longer term, the outlook is promising.
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