Protein activity modification

• US 20070293901A1
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Impulse Dynamics NV
• Original Assignee: Impulse Dynamics NV
• Inventors: Rousso, Benny, Sabbah, Hani
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3621 for treating or preventing abnormally high heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3627 for treating a mechanical deficiency of the heart, e.g. congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy

Abstract

A method of treating a cardiac arrhythmia, comprising: determining a desired arrhythmia control; selecting an electric field having an expected effect of modifying protein activity of at least one protein as a response of a cardiac tissue to the field, said expected effect correlated with said desired arrhythmia control; and applying said field to said cardiac tissue.

Claims

1. A method of treating a cardiac arrhythmia, comprising:

determining a desired arrhythmia control;

selecting an electric field having an expected effect of modifying protein activity of at least one protein as a response of a cardiac tissue to the field, said expected effect correlated with said desired arrhythmia control; and

applying said field to said cardiac tissue.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the arrhythmia control is configured for at least one effect selected from the group consisting of treatment of a disease, a short term modification of tissue behavior, a long term modification of tissue behavior, an assessment of tissue state and an assessment of tissue response to stimulation.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one protein comprises at least one GAP junction protein.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one GAP junction protein comprises at least one Connexin protein.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one protein comprises at least one intracellular calcium cycling protein.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the intracellular calcium cycling protein comprises at least one sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one protein comprises at least one zinc transporter gene.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one zinc transporter gene comprises ZnT-1.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the modifying protein activity comprises modifying mRNA expression level.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the modifying protein activity comprises modifying protein phosphorylation.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cardiac arrhythmia comprises a ventricular arrhythmia.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cardiac arrhythmia comprises an atrial arrhythmia.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the atrial arrhythmia comprises atrial fibrillation.

14. Apparatus for treating a cardiac arrhythmia, comprising:

at least one electrode adapted to apply an electric field to a cardiac tissue;

a controller including a memory having stored therein at least one electric field sequence which modifies protein activity in said cardiac tissue, said controller being configured to determine that a modification of said protein activity is desired as a means of an arrhythmia control and apply said sequence in response said determination to effect said arrhythmia control.

15. A method of treating a cardiac arrhythmia with an electrical therapy, comprising:

applying an electrical field to a cardiac tissue of the patient;

stopping said application for a length of time which is a function of an expected washout time of an effect of said field.

16. A method of preventing a cardiac arrhythmia, comprising:

determining a desired effect on at least one protein; and

applying a field to cardiac tissue to cause such desired effect.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one protein comprises at least one GAP junction protein.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one GAP junction protein comprises at least one Connexin protein.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one protein comprises at least one intracellular calcium cycling protein.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the intracellular calcium cycling protein comprises at least one sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase.

21. A method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one protein comprises at least one zinc transporter gene.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the at least one zinc transporter gene comprises ZnT-1.