Published on: Oct 08, 2025
Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Engineering have developed an innovative non-viral gene therapy to help combat age-related heart disease. Their study reveals that boosting levels of a fat-derived molecule known as 12,13-diHOME, released by energy-burning brown fat, can preserve and even restore heart health in aging individuals.
Led by Kristin Stanford, professor of surgery and associate director at the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, and Daniel Gallego-Perez, professor of biomedical engineering, the research—recently published in Nature Communications—demonstrates that increasing 12,13-diHOME in older mice via tissue nanotransfection (TNT) significantly improved cardiac function within just six weeks.
The team observed that 12,13-diHOME levels naturally decline with age in both humans and mice. By transplanting brown fat from younger mice or using TNT to elevate the molecule’s production, researchers were able to reverse age-related cardiac decline, enhancing heart ejection fraction and pumping efficiency. Further investigation showed that 12,13-diHOME inhibits CaMKII, a protein that regulates calcium in heart cells, thereby promoting healthier cardiac performance.
According to Stanford, with over 20percentage of the U.S. population projected to be over 65 by 2030, such non-viral gene therapy technologies could be critical in reducing cardiovascular disease—the world’s leading cause of death—among older adults.
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