Cardiac arrhythmia treatment methods

Abstract

Disclosed are methods of preventing or treating cardiac arrhythmia. In one embodiment, the methods include administering to an amount of at least one polynucleotide that modulates an electrical property of the heart. The methods have a wide variety of important uses including treating cardiac arrhythmia.

1 . A method of preventing or treating cardiac arrhythmia comprising administering to a mammal a therapeutically effective amount of at least one polynucleotide capable of modulating an electrical property in a standard cardiac electrophysiological assay; and expressing the polynucleotide in the mammal to prevent or treat the cardiac arrhythmia.  
     
     
         2 - 55 . (canceled)  
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 1  wherein heart rate is increased by at least about 5% relative to baseline by the creation of a biological pacemaker.  
     
     
         57 . The method of any of claims  1  and  56 , wherein the biological pacemaker is induced by administration of a polynucleotide designed to suppress K channels.  
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein the K channel suppressed by administration of a polynucleotide is the inward rectifier K channel, a.k.a. I Kl .  
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the polynucleotide is a dominant-negative construct of Kir2. 1.