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 for treating atrial fibrillation comprising administering to cardiac tissue of a mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a polynucleotide encoding KCNH2-G628S and/or a polynucleotide encoding a connexin, wherein the KCNH2-G628S and/or connexin are capable of modulating an electrical property of the cardiac tissue, and wherein the polynucleotides are expressed in the cardiac tissue of the mammal whereby the atrial fibrillation is treated. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the connexin comprises connexin 40, 43 or a functional fragment thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotides are operably linked to the same or separate vectors. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical property is at least one of refractoriness, speed of conduction or spatial excitation pattern.