Chance discovery boosts heart attack hopes AUSTRALIAN scientists have stumbled upon a "simple" way to dramatically reduce the damage caused by a heart attack. They say the new method could transform the treatment of heart attack patients, and could also help people with multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. The key to the treatment is for doctors to inject synthetic microparticles into the patient's bloodstream within 24 hours of a heart attack. This reduces tissue damage caused by inflammatory white blood cells, according to a report published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The particles are made from the same material as dissolvable stitches. The University of Sydney scientists were using them in a different experiment when they discovered the anti-inflammatory effect. It was accidental. A classical serendipitous discovery," says immunopathology Professor Nicholas King. He and his team believe the method halves post-heart attack damage and plan to conduct human clinical trials in two years. "This is the first therapy that specifically targets a key driver of the damage that occurs after a heart attack," says co-discoverer Daniel Getts. There is no other therapy on the horizon that can do this. It has the potential to transform the way heart attacks and cardiovascular disease are treated. The treatment triggers a natural process that destroys the inflammatory cells, says Professor King. We're very excited. This means we can prevent major tissue damage. The inflammatory cells are diverted down a natural cell disposal pathway into the spleen. He points out, however, that the treatment limits only the tissue damage caused after a heart attack. It cannot repair tissue damaged during the heart attack and has no effect on the disease that caused the heart attack. But we think it will improve the heart function substantially and the patient will end up with a better quality of life. Early research shows the microparticles reduce inflammatory damage and enhance tissue repair in a diverse range of scenarios, from multiple sclerosis to viral inflammation of the brain and kidney transplant. "The potential is quite extraordinary," Professor King says. It's amazing that such a simple approach can limit major tissue damage in such a wide range of diseases. The Heart Foundation's Professor James Tatoulis described the discovery as "important and exciting." It is extremely relevant as up to 20,000 Australians survive a heart attack annually and may subsequently develop heart failure. He emphasised, however, that half the people who suffer a heart attack die before they get to hospital. This will not prevent the heart attack occurring in the first place.