Aptamer Therapy for Heart Failure?

Autoantibodies (AAbs) to -adrenergic receptors (-AR)are common in certain subsets of heart failure, where they have the potential to cause adverse myocardial biologi-cal effects.1–7 1-AR AAbs are especially common in peri-partum8 and Chagas9,10 cardiomyopathies, but they are also relatively prevalent (25%) in dilated cardiomyopathies of both idiopathic and ischemic origins.1,5,11–14 The presence of 1-AR AAbs is also associated with ventricular arrhythmias and an increased prevalence of sudden cardiac death.15 As a functional validation of their putative pathophysiologic role, in animal models anti-1-AR antibodies have been shown to induce cardiomyopathies.16–18 The prevalence of 1-AR AAbs in heart failure patients is currently being examined prospectively in the Etiology, Titer-Course, and Survival (ETiCS) Study.14 ETiCS is an ongoing prospective investigation of 1-AR–directed auto