Congenital heart disease is the most common form of birth defect, affecting one out of every 125 babies, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers from the University of Missouri recently found success using chemical compound
PHPS1
to treat laboratory mice with one form of congenital heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — a weakening of the heart caused by abnormally thick muscle.
By suppressing a faulty protein, the researchers reduced the thickness of the mice's heart muscles and improved their cardiac functioning.