Gene therapy restores functionality in non-human primates after heart attacks

New approach uses bacterial genes to restore both strength and rhythm of damaged hearts

Duke University

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Biomedical engineer Nenad Bursac, standing, and postdoctoral associate Tianyu Wu image a heart tissue patch through a microscope at the Bursac lab at the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering.

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Credit: Bill Snead/Duke University

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have successfully conducted experiments to treat damage caused by heart attacks in non-human primates using gene therapy for the first time.

More than 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year. Even if they survive the initial event, the damage to the heart is often permanent because heart muscle cells do not naturally regenerate. Patients are left with weakened heart contractions that can lead to heart failure or dangerous irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmia that can be fatal. Current therapies can only slow down disease progression and are limited in restoring lost function.

Now, researchers have shown they can help the heart to normalize strength and rhythm by delivering an engineered bacterial sodium channel to the damaged heart. The researchers first showed they can successfully improve contraction strength of injured lab-grown human heart tissues using these channels.  In subsequent studies in macaque monkeys with heart damage mimicking that found in human heart attack, the gene therapy largely restored the heart’s ability to pump blood and prevented arrhythmias within weeks of administration.

The results appeared online August 29 in the journal Circulation Research.

“This approach improved both the electrical and mechanical function of damaged heart tissue, which may have added benefits compared to other approaches being pursued,” said Nenad Bursac, professor of biomedical engineering at Duke. “We’re excited by the promising results of this two-pronged strategy and are on a path toward eventual human trials.”

In previous work, the Bursac group demonstrated proof-of-concept by showing that bacterial genes can be delivered to the heart by viruses commonly used in clinical settings. Bacterial genes were used because they are smaller than human sodium channel genes, which can not fit into these viruses.

The latest study, in collaboration with Lei Ye and researchers from Singapore, demonstrated that this form of gene therapy can be directly injected into the site of heart damage in monkeys to exert therapeutic effects. Importantly, the genes delivered were not found anywhere outside of their intended sites, and no adverse effects were observed during the study period.

“The treatment improved heart function in pathological conditions in a clinically relevant setting,” said Tianyu Wu, a postdoctoral researcher working in Bursac’s lab. “The dosage we administered is 100 times lower than what is clinically approved, and the delivery can be achieved through a catheter, avoiding the need to do open-heart surgery in patients.”

The researchers note that there are several similar ongoing efforts in clinics. Some clinical trials are investigating the use of gene therapy for specific heart genetic diseases. Others are focused on correcting calcium signaling to improve contractile strength of a failing heart. Yet another is trying to induce heart muscle to regenerate.

But to their knowledge, this is the first study that has tested gene therapy on a heart disease model in non-human primates. The team also believes that this approach may be particularly effective for heart attack and fibrosis because it also decreases incidence of arrythmias.

Moving forward, the team already has studies underway in pigs, which is a critical step toward getting FDA approval to begin human trials.

This research was supported by the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health (EB032726, HL126524, HL132389, HL134764), and Duke/Duke-NUS Research Collaboration Pilot Project.

“BacNav gene therapy improves function of infarcted engineered human myocardium and NHPs.” Tianyu Wu, Nicole G.Z. Tee, Yiu Yan Siu, Anna Tornatore, Abhishek Bhattacharjee, James Koconis, Szejie Loo, Liping Su, Binjie Li, Lei Ye, and Nenad Bursac. Circulation Research, 2025. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.125.326570

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A patch of heart tissue engineered to model injury after a heart attack.

Credit

Bill Snead/Duke University

Journal

Circulation Research

DOI

10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.125.326570 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

BacNav Gene Therapy Improves Function of Infarcted Engineered Human Myocardium and NHPs

Article Publication Date

29-Aug-2025

 

MSU study: Screen time aids learning, but gender gaps remain

Michigan State University

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Why this matters: 

• Concerns about the detrimental effects of screen time on adolescents’ academic achievement often overlook the potential educational benefits of online leisure time. There is need for further research, policy changes and parenting practices that recognize the potential benefits of casual online leisure for adolescent academic performance and well-being. 

• Unstructured time that young people spend on social media, video games, and other digital activities helps young people build skills that contribute to performance on standardized exams like the SAT. 

• The relationship between digital skills and academic achievement was stronger for boys, narrowing the gender gap in reading and writing. However, if not addressed, digital media use could deepen disparities in math, perpetuating broader inequities, such as underrepresentation of women in STEM careers. 

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Current parenting and educational trends often prioritize structured, adult-supervised activities in an attempt to optimize children’s educational outcomes. This often comes at the expense of unstructured leisure time spent with peers, which is frequently perceived as riskier and less productive — a perspective that’s echoed in much of the research on digital media use.  

“The dominant view suggests that, outside of explicitly educational activities, screen time is detrimental to academic achievement,” said Gabriel E. Hales, a media and information doctoral candidate in the Michigan State University College of Communication Arts and Sciences. 

New research from Hales and Keith N. Hampton, professor of media and information at MSU, challenges the assumption that unstructured time spent on digital media is inherently harmful or unproductive. The study, published in the journal Information, Communication and Society, reveals an indirect positive relationship between digital media and academic achievement, measured through SAT scores in a sample of 2,582 students in grades 8–11. 

“Time spent on social media and other digital activities, such as video games, contributed substantially to digital skills. These skills were strong predictors of performance across academic domains,” said Hampton, who is also director of research at the MSU Quello Center, which focuses on the social and economic implications of communication, media and information technologies of the digital age, as well as the policy and management issues raised by these developments.  

Hampton and Hales did find a small, direct negative relationship between social media use and achievement for girls. However, this relationship was not that different from the effects of time spent hanging out in-person with friends and academic achievement. Unlike time spent in-person, socializing and playing online builds digital skills. The benefits gained through digital skill development outweigh the negative effects of social media use. 

The study’s findings highlighted a significant gender gap: Boys experience substantially larger benefits when considering the relationship between unstructured digital media use, digital skills and academic achievement. The indirect benefit of digital skills had a larger benefit for boys in reading, writing, and math. 
“While some existing gender differences in academic achievement, such as girls’ advantage in reading and writing, were smaller as a result of unstructured time spent on digital media, others, mainly boys’ stronger performance in math persisted” said Hales. 

Both Hales and Hampton emphasize that while unstructured digital media use can help narrow the gap between girls’ and boys’ reading and writing achievement, it may deepen disparities in math. Boys tend to engage in a broader range of online activities, including social media and more video game play, which contribute to more digital skills and higher performance across academic domains. Socializing and playing online can help boys catch up to girls in reading and writing but it may not help eliminate gender differences in math scores. 

“This could perpetuate broad inequalities, such as the underrepresentation of women and STEM careers,” said Hampton. “Some have proposed that reducing gender stereotypes around gaming could encourage participation and contribute to math-related skill development among girls, but there are still uncertainties around that idea.” 

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Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for 170 years. One of the world’s leading public research universities, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better, safer, healthier world for all while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 400 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges. 

For MSU news on the web, go to MSUToday or x.com/MSUnews. 

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Journal

Information Communication & Society

DOI

10.1080/1369118X.2025.2516542 

WHOOPING COUGH

Pertussis resurgence in Tuscany outlines importance of timely vaccination in Italy

Research analysing 2016-2024 data from all pertussis-related hospitalisations in Tuscany, Italy, finds a ninefold increase in pertussis cases in 2024 among children and adolescents

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

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Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a vaccine-preventable disease which continues to circulate even in areas where vaccination coverage is high, and outbreaks may still occur. A study published in Eurosurveillance and conducted at Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence, Italy, has found a sharp increase in hospitalisations for pertussis among children and adolescents (patients aged 16 years or under) in 2024. The findings highlight the critical role of not only adhering to vaccination schedules but also administering doses at the earliest opportunity to ensure a further reduction in cases and hospitalisations among children and adolescents.

Caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can affect individuals of all ages. While infants (children under one year of age) are most vulnerable to severe disease, recent trends have indicated a shift in the age profile of cases. After several years of low incidence from 2016-2023, Tuscany experienced a sharp rise in pertussis cases in 2024.

The study by Nieddu et al. used retrospective observational data of all pertussis-related hospitalisations from 2016 to 2024. The vaccination status of the participants was taken from a digital vaccination registry in the Tuscany region, which is updated daily by healthcare professionals and vaccination centres. For each patient, the time interval between the first eligible day for vaccine administration (when the vaccine could have been administered but was not) and the onset of disease was calculated. From this, the delay was calculated from the number of days between the eligible vaccination date and disease onset.

A ninefold increase in cases since 2016-2019
Between January and December 2024, 259 children and adolescents were hospitalised with laboratory-confirmed pertussis. Compared with data from 2016-2019, there was a ninefold increase in admissions of children and adolescents during the 2024 period. Of note, over half of these cases occurred in adolescents aged 10–16 years, while infants accounted for just 7% of cases. This contrasts with earlier outbreaks, where infants represented the majority of hospitalisations.

Timeliness of vaccination as essential as coverage
Tuscany has one of the highest pertussis vaccination rates in Italy, with 97.7% of two-year-olds and 75.8% of 16-year-olds being fully vaccinated. However, the study outlined that many patients had received their doses at the latest point in time within the recommended schedule. Among infants eligible for vaccination, delays averaged more than a month for the first three doses. For adolescents, the gap between eligibility for the booster (recommended from age 12) and disease onset often exceeded a year.

“Formal compliance with the schedule is not enough”, the authors note. “Timely administration could have prevented many hospitalisations”.

Most adolescents in the study had completed their early childhood vaccinations suggesting a waning immunity rather than vaccine refusal as the main driver for the increase in cases. The current Italian schedule allows the adolescent booster to be given anytime between 12 and 18 years, a window which this study suggests may be too wide.

Among infants too young to receive their first dose of pertussis vaccine (77 patients were younger than 1 year and 20 were younger than 2 months), none of the mothers had received the recommended pertussis vaccine during pregnancy, despite its availability free of charge across Italy. This highlighted another missed opportunity for protection.

Public health implications
According to the authors, these findings call for renewed public health messaging emphasising not just the importance of vaccination but also that it be done in a timely manner. Strategies could include reminders for families and healthcare providers, as well as campaigns to reduce vaccine hesitancy and vaccine fatigue. Strong and robust surveillance systems are also essential to detect and respond to emerging trends.

The authors conclude that to mitigate resurgence of pertussis and prevent future outbreaks, a combination of measures should be implemented such as “strict adherence to the immunisation schedule, prioritising administration of vaccines at the earliest eligible opportunity, and consideration of advancing the adolescent booster dose”.

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Journal

Eurosurveillance

DOI

10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.34.2500062 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Bordetella pertussis in hospitalised children and adolescents, the impact of vaccination delay, Tuscany, Italy, 2016 to 2024

Article Publication Date

28-Aug-2025

Why a whooping cough outbreak hit one of Italy’s most vaccinated regions

Copyright Canva

By Gabriela Galvin

Published on 28/08/2025 - 

The researchers said that while most children were vaccinated, delays in getting booster jabs caused their immunity to wane, allowing the bacteria that causes pertussis to take root.

Last winter, Tuscany was gripped with a whooping cough outbreak that sickened hundreds of children and hit the region hard despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in Italy.

After a few quiet years, child hospitalisations for pertussis, also known as whooping cough, surged ninefold in 2024 in Tuscany, the central Italian region that is home to cities like Florence and Pisa.

Nearly all two-year-olds and three-quarters of 16-year-olds in Tuscany are fully immunised against the highly contagious respiratory disease.

That prompted researchers from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to launch an investigation. In a newly released study, they say that although most young people who got sick had been vaccinated, delays in getting the jabs had caused their immunity to wane, allowing the bacteria that causes pertussis to take root.

Italian health authorities recommend that children get four doses of the pertussis vaccine, at three months, five months, 11 months, and six years of age. Boosters are recommended between ages 12 and 18 and every 10 years in adulthood.

However, delays averaged more than a month for infants and more than a year for adolescents who were later hospitalised, according to the study published in Eurosurveillance, the ECDC’s medical journal.

Related

• Whooping cough cases surge in US, Europe post-COVID pandemic

“Even in children and adolescents formally considered up to date with their immunisations, earlier administration could have prevented hospitalisation,” the study authors said.

Italy is not the only country seeing a resurgence of whooping cough. Between January and March 2024, there were more than 32,000 cases reported across the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

Large outbreaks are expected every three to five years, even in areas with high vaccination coverage, according to the ECDC.

Whooping cough is most dangerous for babies under one year old, but anyone can fall seriously ill. Infected people will initially have cold-like symptoms, and after about a week they may develop a persistent cough that makes it hard to breathe.

In Tuscany, an average of 28 children and adolescents were hospitalised for pertussis every year between 2016 and 2019, a level that surged to 259 in 2024. More than half of these cases were among children ages 10 to 16, with babies making up just seven per cent of cases.

The outbreak among older children and teenagers caught public health experts’ attention, given that most hospitalisations are typically among infants. Countries such as Denmark, Spain, and France also reported an unusually high number of cases among adolescents around this time.

Related

• How well are countries in Europe dealing with health issues? New report shows progress is stagnating

For the study, researchers tracked the interval between Tuscan children’s eligibility for vaccination and when they were actually immunised. They could then compare this delay to the onset of disease for all pertussis-related hospitalisations between 2016 and 2024

Most adolescent patients had gotten their early childhood vaccinations, meaning their infections were probably tied to waning immunity rather than parents refusing to get their kids booster jabs, the researchers said.

They said the findings indicate parents should not only get their children vaccinated against whooping cough – they should do so at the “earliest eligible opportunity”.

They also suggested that Italy’s recommended window for adolescent booster jabs – anytime between 12 and 18 years of age – may be too wide.

“We consider this a missed opportunity for protection,” the researchers said.

Meanwhile, 20 of the hospitalised babies were too young to be immunised, and none of their mothers had been vaccinated while pregnant.

The ECDC recommended that Italy launch public awareness campaigns to combat vaccine hesitancy and vaccine fatigue, and issue reminders about upcoming vaccinations for parents and doctors alike.

ICYMI

American Meteorological Society responds to DOE Climate Synthesis Report

AMS statement finds “foundational flaws” in a recent Department of Energy climate report that are “inconsistent with scientific principles and practices”

American Meteorological Society

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The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has released a statement outlining foundational flaws in the Department of Energy’s (DoE’s) 2025 Climate Synthesis report. The statement notes:

“Each of these flaws, alone, places the report at odds with scientific principles and practices. For the report to accurately characterize scientific understanding and to be useful as a basis for informed policy and decision making, the DoE must first rectify all five flaws and then conduct a comprehensive assessment of scientific evidence. Were DoE to do so, the result will almost certainly be conclusions that are broadly consistent with previous comprehensive scientific assessments of climate change, such as those from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM); American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), American Meteorological Society (AMS), and a wide-range of other scientific organizations.”

It concludes:

“Five conclusions are robust when accounting comprehensively for the scientific evidence. They have been consistently reaffirmed by independent subject matter experts and independent scientific institutions worldwide. Decades of intensive research on climate change demonstrate that:

1. Climate is changing, and the rate and magnitude of change are unusual in human experience.

2. People are the primary cause of modern climate change, mostly through burning fossil fuels.

3. Climate change is harmful to humanity, and the threats to people and all life are increasing.

4. A wide range of response options is available that can reduce the dangers of climate change.

5. Those who study the scientific evidence overwhelmingly agree.”

Read the full statement, “The Practice and Assessment of Science: Five Foundational Flaws in the Department of Energy’s 2025 Climate Report.”
 

About the American Meteorological Society

The American Meteorological Society advances the atmospheric and related sciences, technologies, applications, and services for the benefit of society. Founded in 1919, AMS has a membership of more than 12,000 professionals, students, and weather enthusiasts. AMS publishes 12 atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic science journals—in print and online; sponsors more than 12 conferences annually; and offers numerous programs and services to the weather, water, and climate community. Visit us at https://www.ametsoc.org/.