Targeting the immune system could prevent future heart attacks, Cambridge-led trial suggests
Cambridge researchers have discovered that an existing therapy which boosts protective immune cells in people who have recently had heart attacks reduces blood vessel inflammation and may reduce the likelihood of future heart attacks.
Regulatory T cells, a unique type of white blood cell, are important gatekeepers of our immune system, and their discovery was recently awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
In the UK, someone is admitted to hospital every five minutes due to a heart attack. While seven out of ten people will survive a heart attack, many are left with damaged hearts, which can increase risk of further attacks.
People who have had a heart attack typically have high inflammation in major blood vessels and this is a strong indicator that they are at risk of further attacks.
Currently there is no approved treatment targeting inflammation in people following heart attacks.
Results published today (Thursday 8 January 2026) in Nature Medicine indicate that low-dose treatment with aldesleukin could prevent repeat heart attacks by reducing inflammation. The results arose from two related clinical trials known as IVORY and IVORY-FINALE, largely funded by the Medical Research Council.
Sixty patients who had recently had heart attacks took part in IVORY. Each was either given a low dose of aldesleukin or placebo. Of these, 55 patients then participated in up to five years of follow-up health monitoring, known as IVORY-FINALE.
Full article: NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
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