The Journey To Turn a Lab’s Discovery Into a Heart Failure Treatment
Andrew Kruse and colleagues strive to fulfill the potential of relaxin
For years, researchers have suspected that a hormone called relaxin could be an effective treatment for certain cardiovascular diseases. It helps counteract scarring (fibrosis), prevents veins and arteries from hardening, and promotes structural changes in the heart and blood vessels during pregnancy to support the mother’s heart.
But drug developers have had a hard time turning relaxin and similar compounds into medicines, in part because they — like many hormone-based treatments — are small and the body filters them out of circulation too quickly for them to be effective.
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