Scientists from Bashkortostan and China develop molecule for treating myocardial infarction

Scientists from Bashkortostan and China have collaboratively developed a groundbreaking molecule aimed at treating myocardial infarction. This remarkable advancement was achieved through the joint efforts of researchers from Bashkir State Medical University and their counterparts at Hangzhou Pedagogical University in China, as reported by RIA Novosti, citing the university’s press service.

"With this innovative medication, built upon the unique mechanism of this molecule, physicians will be able to preserve the viability of cardiac tissues and restore the heart’s functions," the statement affirms.

In the course of their pioneering research, led by Dr. Alexander Samarodov, a distinguished scholar of medicine, Russian scientists, alongside their Chinese colleagues, uncovered the pivotal role of ubiquitin in the development and progression of ischemic damage to the myocardium. The university’s press release elaborates on this discovery.

"Ubiquitin is a vital protein that plays an essential role in our body by aiding in the removal of damaged cells. During myocardial ischemia—when the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen due to impaired blood flow—cardiac cells sustain damage. Ubiquitin, by identifying these compromised cells, assumes a critical function in regulating programmed cell death, or apoptosis," Dr. Samarodov explains.

The action of this novel molecule is based on a unique mechanism: it reduces ubiquitin levels in the "dormant" region of the myocardium—an area of the heart muscle temporarily incapable of contraction due to oxygen deficiency.

This pioneering compound has already undergone initial testing phases, with future plans for clinical trials. According to the official release, the molecule was developed within the laboratory of small target molecules at Bashkir State Medical University, supported by the Russian Ministry of Health.