Transcriptomic Analysis Identifies the Effect of Beta-Blocking Agents on a Molecular Pathway of Contraction in the Heart and Predicts Response to Therapy

• Endomyocardial biopsy obtained from patients with new onset heart failure.
• Patients are followed long-term to determine clinical outcome and prognosis.
• Total RNA is purified from the endomyocardial biopsy specimen and subjected to microarray analysis.
• Pathway discovery and development of transcriptomic biomarkers are determined that predict clinical response to beta-adrenergic antagonists.

SummaryOver the last decades, beta-blockers have been a key component of heart failure therapy. However, currently there is no method to identify patients who will benefit from beta-blocking therapy versus those who will be unresponsive or worsen. Furthermore, there is an unmet need to better understand molecular mechanisms through which heart failure therapies, such as beta-blockers, improve cardiac function, in order to design novel targeted therapies. Solving these issues is an important step towards personalized medicine. Here, we present a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of molecular pathways that are affected by beta-blocking agents and a transcriptomic biomarker to predict therapy response.

Visual AbstractFigure optionsDownload high-quality image (185 K)Download as PowerPoint slide