Gene Therapy for Heart Failure

Heart failure is an important public medical problem in the developed countries. Although there are numerous and fascinating medicines given by physicians for the treatment of heart failure, the general 5 year survival rate for advanced heart failure is only about 50%. There are still many theoretical and practical problems to overcome before the application of gene therapy to cardiovascular disease becomes a reality in the future. With our increased knowledge on the development of gene delivery, vector systems, molecular basis of cardiac dysfunction, and the pathogenesis of heart failure at the cell level, gene therapy is emerging as a new therapeutic option for heart failure.