Study on congenital heart disease involving uOttawa professor Mona Nemer is the front cover story of the prestigious international journal Nature
Ottawa, September 2, 2009 — A study on heart development involving Professor Mona Nemer, vice-president of research at the University of Ottawa, is featured on the front page of the latest edition of the prestigious scientific journal Nature.
Entitled Reptilian heart development and the molecular basis of cardiac chamber evolution, the article sheds new light on the make-up and growth of the human heart and on the genetic bases of congenital heart disease which afflicts 1 to 5% of the population. In fact, these diseases represent the largest class of human congenital defects and are the leading cause of death in infants under 1 year.
Mammalian hearts have four chambers, specifically two ventricles and two atria separated by thin membranes (called septa) and equipped with valves that keep blood flowing in a single direction. When malformations--or septal defects--occur, the heart's functioning can be seriously compromised. Septal defects account for more than a third of heart malformations in children.
The study in Nature shows that the Tbx5 gene plays a key role in both the proper separation of the heart's cavities and the formation of ventricular septa (dividing walls). It also explains how alterations in the Tbx5 gene lead to congenital heart defects in humans.
The breakthrough, the result of an international collaborative effort involving researchers from Canada, Japan and the United States, helps demystify the genetics underlying the heart's development; this in turn paves the way for the design of new diagnostic tools that could improve detection and management of familial risk of congenital heart disease as well as treatment and follow up of individuals already suffering from CHD.
Professor Nemer's scientific work is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and by the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation.
You will find the article entitled Reptilian heart development and the molecular basis of cardiac chamber evolution in the latest paper edition of Nature.
For more information on Nature, please visit the journal’s website. [External site.]