Heart specialist with an eye for detail: Dr. Peter Kolkhof, project manager in cardiological research, checks a slide before examining it under the microscope in the Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals laboratory in Wuppertal.
Heart failure is a deadly threat: in the industrialized countries alone, up to 50 percent of those affected die within five years. It is estimated that globally over 20 million people suffer from heart failure and this figure is rising. High blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and arteriosclerosis are nearly always the start of the problem. And like many cancers, at present we can only slow down the development of heart failure, not cure it completely.
Promising clinical trials
Bayer HealthCare researchers are looking at different ways to help the weakened heart. At present, they are working simultaneously on three promising approaches to treatment that selectively intervene in the disease process. It looks as if they might be effective, as shown by initial clinical testing. Read here to find out more about the new therapeutic approaches which may soon benefit heart patients.