Scientists have identified a novel antibody that has the potential to become a new treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Research published in Nature Communications shows that treatment with a specific antibody can reverse the process behind the development of PAH, and will now be considered for clinical development.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension or PAH is a rare but fatal disease with the only cure being lung transplantation. It results in high blood within the lungs due to the constriction and overgrowth of the cells within the arteries that supply blood to the lungs.

Over time this growth restricts blood flow through these vessels, putting strain on the heart and eventually causing heart failure.

The study found osteoprotegerin (OPG) - which has primarily been thought to just regulate bone density - drives the process behind the growth of the cells within the blood vessel walls affected in PAH.

A therapeutic human anti-OPG antibody was found to stop the progress of the disease in experimental lab rodent and cell models, and reverse the proliferation of cells which cause the arteries to thicken.

The senior author said: "Current treatments for PAH ease the symptoms by relaxing and dilating the affected blood vessels which can help extend the life expectancy for those living with PAH, but they do not stop the underlying drivers of the disease.

"The great benefit of this research is the potential for this new drug to be used in conjunction with current treatments, to ease symptoms and further halt or reverse the progression of the disease."

PAH is a rare disease, affecting less than 1 in 2000 people and has 'orphan disease' designation, meaning that despite smaller numbers of patients affected there is a recognised need for effective treatments to be developed.

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/new-potential-treatment-for-pulmonary-hypertension-1.872704

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-13139-9

http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Fa-therapeutic-antibody&filter=22