MARGINALIZING of MYOCARDIAL INFARCT

The occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of chronic heart failure, which develops because of adverse post-ischemic cardiac remodelling. Immune responses play an important regulatory role in the post-MI wound healing by regulating the cardiac remodelling after MI. However, previous strategies that had broadly targeted the acute inflammatory response and non-selectively blocking the recruitment of several types of leukocytes, did not show a clinical benefit in patients with MI. These failures can now be explained in the light of recent data on the variety and distinct (deleterious vs protective) functions of selective subtypes of leukocytes in experimental models of post-ischemic cardiac repair. Notably, members of this consortium have revealed, for the first time, that B cells, and more particularly marginal zone (MZ) B cells, play essential deleterious roles in cardiac repair following MI. Our goal is to translate these discoveries into benefit for patients by developing multi-specific antibodies-based strategies for selective targeting of MZ B cell subtypes and their functions, thereby, preventing adverse cardiac remodelling and heart failure.