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Utah Researchers Using Drug That Could Reverse Heart Disease

After battling breast cancer and receiving a double mastectomy, Debra Grant received a diagnosis for heart failure that crushed her dreams of a full recovery.Grant said new research looking for a possible reversal for heart disease could change her life and she is hopeful for the future. 

The drug in question is called V-D-A-C-2, a protein that helps regulate calcium signaling within heart cells.  Testing the protein in lab mice it was shown to reverse many of the effects of heart failure. 

Director of cardiovascular research at the University of Utah, Stavros Drakos, said this is very promising research which could help hospitals in dealing with other public health issues by freeing up beds. 

In 2019, heart disease killed an average of 77 people a week and that number grew in 2020 due to complications that arose from COVID-19.

Casey Taylor is a general reporter at UPR and will be helping to produce the sounds that put the "radio" in Utah Public Radio. He is a senior at Utah State University majoring in public relations and creative writing with a minor in anticipatory intelligence. In his free time, he loves making music, reading sci-fi books and playing volleyball. Comedy is his passion but so is finding a career. So here he is, ready to produce the best local stories west of the Mississippi!