Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Dec 26, 2023; 15(12): 623-626
Published online Dec 26, 2023. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v15.i12.623
Inherited arrhythmias and gene therapy: Are there any ethical considerations to take into account?
Michael Spartalis, Eleftherios Spartalis, Gerasimos Siasos
Michael Spartalis, Gerasimos Siasos, 3rd Department of Cardiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
Eleftherios Spartalis, Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to this paper in conception and design of the letter, literature review and analysis, drafting, critical revision, editing, and providing final approval of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Michael Spartalis, Eleftherios Spartalis and Gerasimos Siasos have nothing to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Michael Spartalis, Doctor, FACC, FESC, MS, MSc, PhD, 3rd Department of Cardiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 152 Mesogeion Ave, Athens 11527, Greece. msparta@med.uoa.gr
Received: September 25, 2023
Peer-review started: September 25, 2023
First decision: November 9, 2023
Revised: November 12, 2023
Accepted: November 28, 2023
Article in press: November 28, 2023
Published online: December 26, 2023
Processing time: 90 Days and 18.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: The use of genome editing to treat rhythm disturbances at the substrate level could provide a revolutionary treatment for disorders that the current standard of care is inadequate. Our knowledge of the disease is the only limit in identifying a perfect genome editing tool for several rhythm disturbances. As our understanding of gene vectors and transfer techniques progress, a novel therapy approach will be upon us, where cardiac muscles are altered to be impervious to rhythm disturbances, enhancing patients’ quality of living and relieving the burden on healthcare organizations. Ethical issues will eventually arise, as the treatments will be expensive.