Bangalore: A vaccine against heart attack may sound far fetched, but when President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam dedicates to the nation the Narayana Hrudayalaya located Thrombosis Research Institute (TRI)-India on December 18, scientists at the institute will be a little closer to just this: producing an inexpensive vaccine that can immunise susceptible young people against cardiovascular diseases (CVD) of the heart and atherosclerosis (thickening of the blood vessels).

According to Devi Shetty, one of Bangalore's leading cardiac surgeons and a TRI-India trustee, "the vaccine would be an effective way of arresting the disease even before it strikes"

Familial disorder

With CVD being a familial disorder TRI-India has begun a genetic study to assess those who have an increased susceptibility to premature heart disease using a comprehensive strategy for genomic screening, fine mapping of candidate gene analysis and family association.

The study, which has been funded in part by the Department of Biotechnology and the Tata Trust has so far investigated over 3,500 effected individuals below the age of 55 who have suffered a stroke or a coronary disorder, and then traced their families, studying their children, siblings and even parents.

Study

While the study which seeks to probe 12,500 cases by 2008 is still far from complete, it has already shown that in India CVD is not just an "old person's disease." It affects the young too.

Dr. Shetty said that the programme was undertaken given that "heart ailments have taken on the scale of an epidemic in India".

Between 5 to 10 per cent of India's population suffers from ischemic diseases, one out of every 140 persons suffers from congenital heart disease and one in 1,000 are effected with a rheumatic heart condition.

Surgeries

"We need to perform 25 lakh heart surgeries every year, but what we are currently doing just 70,000, the remaining patients suffering without surgical intervention. A vaccine should help push back the disease spectrum by 10 years."

According to him, human trials of the vaccine should start by 2008-09, with a further period of five years before it is commercially available.

The TRI is a joint initiative by the Trustees of TRI (India) and TRI (London). It undertakes basic scientific, clinical and epidemiological research, developing affordable therapies and identifying those most at risk at an early stage.

It has done research in atherothrombosis, functional genomics, proteomics and immunology, and has been recognised as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

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