Clinical Perspectives of Molecular Cardiology

Our insight into the development of cardiac disease is changing at a rapid pace. The tools have been developed by molecular biology to analyse the genetic cause of cardiac disease in humans. The knowledge of the genetic etiology not only helps to identify individuals at risk for inherited cardiac disease, it also increases our understanding of the pathophysiology and could potentially lead to new therapeutic strategies. During the Roche meeting an update was provided on the current techniques used to analyse the human genetic composition. New animal models are available to determine the effects of gene dosage. To illustrate the value of genetic modification in mice, models are discussed for atherosclerosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, new methods are discussed to evaluate genetic variation in relation to atherosclerosis.