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American Morning

Heart Attack Gene

Aired November 28, 2003 - 07:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Doctors may be closer to knowing what's behind the No. 1 killer of people in the developed world. Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic have identified the first gene linked directly to heart attacks. The discovery could lead to new drugs to treat or prevent heart disease. Joining us from Cleveland to talk about this breakthrough, Dr. Eric Topol, chief cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and head of the team that discovered the gene.
Good morning to you, doctor. Thanks for being here on this big day.

Tell us how significant exactly the discovery of this gene is.

DR. ERIC TOPOL, CARDIOLOGIST: Well, good morning, Heidi.

We're very fortunate about this. Our team of Chin Wong, my daughter and the crew here at Cleveland clinic came upon a family from Iowa, and we found in this family through a multiple generations of heart disease, that indeed a specific gene was inducing heart attacks, and this gene was only present in the family members who had the disease, and of course, not present in the family members who were unaffected. So this was a very big step, understanding a gene in the artery wall that was leading to cracks to induce heart disease.

COLLINS: In fact, you say the discovery of this gene is quite frankly as big as it gets, but I'm wondering if this gene has to do with the breakdown of the artery wall, is there anything that can be done for preventative medicines to keep that from happening.

TOPOL: Well, that's what's particularly exciting here. Because now, in this family which has over 100 members and very young children, in fact, we can tell anyone who has the gene that indeed, very early on in their life, they can adopt a very healthy lifestyle and we can also add medications and it really gives us a whole window into this process which takes 20 or 30 years to develop into heart attack or heart disease. So we have a big jump on the whole condition.

COLLINS: Put it into perspective a little bit for us if you could. How many people actually have this genetic problem.

TOPOL: Well, this particular one is probably uncommon, but what's great about the first piece of this jigsaw puzzle is that we'll be able to then identify more common and other genes that in aggregate will give us the ability to be much more on top of prevention. This is a disease of heart attack which is a terrible fire drill. You don't really want to have to make a big impact in the midst of a heart attack. You want to be able to diagnose this as early as possible in one's lifetime. This gene, and its connected pathway genes should be quite illuminating.

COLLINS: So can people actually walk into the doctor's office now and be tested for this gene deficiency?

TOPOL: Well, for this particular one, we're not quite ready for that. But this will be a segue into the determination and identity of other key genes, and what you're asking about precisely in the next few years will be something that's here and now, and that will be the ability to check multiple genes that can cause heart attack and know this very early on in one's lifetime so that they -- active steps of lifestyle improvement and if necessary medications can hopefully ward off or defer the whole process.

COLLINS: A lot of people would feel much more at ease, I think, if they could have that test. We'll be waiting for it. Thanks so much, Dr. Eric Topol, chief cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. Thanks again.

TOPOL: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 28, 2003 - 07:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Doctors may be closer to knowing what's behind the No. 1 killer of people in the developed world. Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic have identified the first gene linked directly to heart attacks. The discovery could lead to new drugs to treat or prevent heart disease. Joining us from Cleveland to talk about this breakthrough, Dr. Eric Topol, chief cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and head of the team that discovered the gene.
Good morning to you, doctor. Thanks for being here on this big day.

Tell us how significant exactly the discovery of this gene is.

DR. ERIC TOPOL, CARDIOLOGIST: Well, good morning, Heidi.

We're very fortunate about this. Our team of Chin Wong, my daughter and the crew here at Cleveland clinic came upon a family from Iowa, and we found in this family through a multiple generations of heart disease, that indeed a specific gene was inducing heart attacks, and this gene was only present in the family members who had the disease, and of course, not present in the family members who were unaffected. So this was a very big step, understanding a gene in the artery wall that was leading to cracks to induce heart disease.

COLLINS: In fact, you say the discovery of this gene is quite frankly as big as it gets, but I'm wondering if this gene has to do with the breakdown of the artery wall, is there anything that can be done for preventative medicines to keep that from happening.

TOPOL: Well, that's what's particularly exciting here. Because now, in this family which has over 100 members and very young children, in fact, we can tell anyone who has the gene that indeed, very early on in their life, they can adopt a very healthy lifestyle and we can also add medications and it really gives us a whole window into this process which takes 20 or 30 years to develop into heart attack or heart disease. So we have a big jump on the whole condition.

COLLINS: Put it into perspective a little bit for us if you could. How many people actually have this genetic problem.

TOPOL: Well, this particular one is probably uncommon, but what's great about the first piece of this jigsaw puzzle is that we'll be able to then identify more common and other genes that in aggregate will give us the ability to be much more on top of prevention. This is a disease of heart attack which is a terrible fire drill. You don't really want to have to make a big impact in the midst of a heart attack. You want to be able to diagnose this as early as possible in one's lifetime. This gene, and its connected pathway genes should be quite illuminating.

COLLINS: So can people actually walk into the doctor's office now and be tested for this gene deficiency?

TOPOL: Well, for this particular one, we're not quite ready for that. But this will be a segue into the determination and identity of other key genes, and what you're asking about precisely in the next few years will be something that's here and now, and that will be the ability to check multiple genes that can cause heart attack and know this very early on in one's lifetime so that they -- active steps of lifestyle improvement and if necessary medications can hopefully ward off or defer the whole process.

COLLINS: A lot of people would feel much more at ease, I think, if they could have that test. We'll be waiting for it. Thanks so much, Dr. Eric Topol, chief cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. Thanks again.

TOPOL: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com