New genetic target for coronary heart disease identified

Researchers have identified a potentially promising new approach for treating coronary heart disease after identifying a gene that could be linked to the onset of the condition.

A team at Queen Mary, University of London have found that an enzyme known as ADAMTS7 plays a crucial role in the build-up of cells in the coronary arteries which lead to the development of the deadly disorder.

By assessing a specific ADAMTS7 gene variant, it was found that this mutation contributed to reducing the ability of the enzyme to break down the structural protein thrombospondin-5, making arterial cells less able to migrate and helping to avoid atherosclerotic plaques forming.

Shu Ye, professor of molecular medicine and genetics at Queen Mary, University of London, said: "Further research is needed but this indicates that ADAMTS7 would be a promising target against which new medicines could be designed to act."

Coronary heart disease is the nation's biggest killer and accounts for 94,000 deaths in the UK each year, with around one in five men and one in eight women dying from the disease.