Columbia Team Uses Injectable RNA to Reverse Heart Attack Damage in Animal Study

Researchers at Columbia University report in Nature Biomedical Engineering that an experimental injectable RNA therapy was able to reduce scarring and improve heart function after heart attacks in both small and large animal models. Led by biomedical engineer Ke Cheng, the team used self‑amplifying RNA injected into skeletal muscle to turn those muscles into temporary "factories" for an inactive form of the heart‑repair protein ANP, which only activates when it reaches injured heart tissue. A single limb injection produced the healing protein for at least four weeks and remained effective when given up to a week after the heart injury, suggesting a wider treatment window than current approaches. Because adult hearts regenerate poorly and heart failure after a heart attack is a major U.S. killer, scientists see this as a potentially important platform, but stress that it has only been tested in animals so far and that long‑duration RNA activity could carry unknown side effects. The work comes as clinicians warn of rising heart‑attack rates among younger Americans, heightening interest in therapies that do more than just limit damage.