Following an acute heart attack, pathological remodeling processes occur in the heart. One consequence is so-called left ventricular systolic dysfunction, in which the pumping function of the left ventricle is impaired. To compensate for this, the heart muscle enlarges excessively, thereby becoming further weakened. The key regulator of this harmful growth of heart muscle cells is microRNA-132 (miR-132).

The drug candidate CDR132L has now been investigated in an international Phase II clinical trial involving patients who have recently suffered a heart attack and have heart failure. The HF-REVERT study has shown that patients with already advanced cardiac remodeling at the start of the study could benefit particularly from treatment with CDR132L. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Medicine.