Tissue plasminogen activator: from molecular biology to myocardial infarction

Am J Med Sci. 1987 Mar;293(3):201-7. doi: 10.1097/00000441-198703000-00009.

Abstract

The recent development of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator as a therapeutic agent during acute myocardial infarction is one of the most lucid examples of the potential impact of recombinant DNA technology in clinical medicine. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without several key discoveries in molecular biology and clinical cardiology and exemplifies the synergistic relationship between basic and clinical research. This article chronicles this journey from molecular biology to myocardial infarction.

MeSH terms

  • Fibrinolysis
  • Fibrinolytic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Glycoproteins / physiology
  • Humans
  • Myocardial Infarction / blood
  • Myocardial Infarction / drug therapy*
  • Plasminogen Inactivators
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / therapeutic use
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator / biosynthesis
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Fibrinolytic Agents
  • Glycoproteins
  • Plasminogen Inactivators
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator