Tissue damage can be fatal following a heart attack

It works by blocking the destructive effect of a compound called C-reactive protein (CRP), which is normally present at trace levels in the blood.

After a heart attack, however, levels increase sharply - and patients with the highest levels of all are most likely to die.

The study, led by University College London is published in Nature.

If effective, it would reduce the amount of damage in the heart Professor Mark Pepys

Following a heart attack, CRP is always deposited in and around the damaged heart tissue.

It appears to exacerbate the damage caused to the tissue by inflammation.

The researchers, building on previous work by UCL, have developed a potent compound called bis(phosphocholine)-hexane.

It was found to inhibit CRP in the test tube, and to block its damaging effects in experiments to simulate the effect of a heart attack.

Researcher Professor Mark Pepys said: "Although heart attacks are responsible for about one third of all deaths in developed countries, most patients survive a first heart attack.

"However, if they have a large scar, patients go on to develop heart failure which is eventually fatal. Reducing the immediate damage is thus critically important."

Further development

Professor Pepys said the aim was now to perfect the new drug as quickly as possible for tests in patients - hopefully within two years.

"The drug would be given as soon as patients arrived in hospital. If effective, it would reduce the amount of damage in the heart, thus limiting both early mortality and the size of the scar left in the heart.

"It is likely that CRP contributes to tissue damage in a range of diseases in which CRP levels are greatly increased, and the inhibition of CRP may thus find broad application in medicine."

Ellen Mason, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said a heart attack was a complex biological event, and the role of CRP was only part of a bigger picture.

She said: "Clinical trials of this new drug will need to show that the results translate into protecting patients hearts from permanent damage in real life situations.

"Currently clot busters or primary angioplasty are used after a heart attack to salvage the heart muscle. These attempt to restore the blood to the heart so that scarring is minimal.