By IANS,
London : Researchers are developing a new drug that will treat heart disease and angina without aggravating any underlying respiratory problems.
The University of Nottingham researchers have already developed a molecule that is much more effective at discriminating between the heart and lungs than current drugs, EurekaAlert reported Friday.
Researchers will be carrying out further studies to improve the molecule to ensure that it is able to target the heart cells more effectively – leaving the lungs untouched.
Jill Baker from the University’s School of Biomedical Sciences, who is leading the research, said: “Once developed, this molecule will cause much less wheezing and shortness of breath and should be able to be given safely to the hundreds of thousands of patients with both heart and lung diseases”.
Doctors are extremely wary of prescribing beta-blockers for patients suffering from heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which aggravate respiratory symptoms. COPD causes the destruction of lung tissue and increased mucus production.