Mind the Gap: Genetic Variation and Personalized Therapies for Cardiomyopathies

Inherited cardiomyopathies are cardiovascular disorders that are one of the leading causes of death and are strongly associated with genetic mutations. These include hypertrophic, dilated, restrictive, as well as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathies. Among the patients presenting with these specific forms of cardiomyopathies, there is significant phenotypic, genotypic, and environmental heterogeneity. Over the years, the identification of the underlying mutations common to specific forms of cardiomyopathies have facilitated clinic diagnosis. However, the variation between patient genetics and phenotypes highlights the need for improved understanding of these diseases and the development of innovative treatments. To better understand the diseases, researchers are capitalizing on two innovative technologies: cardiac reprogramming and gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9. Deriving cardiomyocytes from patient blood samples and gene editing allows for the efficient generation of cellular and animal models that allow researchers to model the disease more accurately. In addition, the recent advances in high throughput drug screening allows for the efficient testing of patient-derived cardiomyocytes for patient-specific susceptibility to various drugs that are currently approved. In addition, this technology can facilitate the development of new pharmacological compounds for the treatment of specific cardiomyopathies. Overall, the recent technological advances in molecular medicine now presents an opportunity to gain unprecedented insight into solving the complex issue of inherited cardiomyopathies. These techniques pave the way for the new generation of personalized medicine in treating cardiovascular diseases.