An enzyme could be the key to being able to print pharmaceutical labels for a fatal heart condition.

Scientists at Manchester University have found that the enzyme MKK4 is a key factor in regulating heartbeat.

Millions of people die each year as a result of cardiac hypertrophy, a thickening of the heart's tissue that decreases the size of its chambers and causes irregular rhythm.

The problem is regularly in the news because some young athletes die of it due to overstraining their heart when they were unaware they had a problem.

A team in Manchester's Faculty of Life Science found that MKK4 is able to modify the protein connexion, which forms electrical bridges and ensures continued heart beats.

By introducing the enzyme, they were able to regulate arrhythmia.

Dr Xin Wang, one of the researchers, said: "The information generated from this study will help us to identify whether the MKK4 enzyme could become a therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias."

This comes after it was revealed earlier this week that scientists at Louisiana State University had had a potential breakthrough in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Denny Bros Ltd, 26 May 2011