A New Way to Control High Blood Pressure

In this week's episode, we explore new RNA interference technology and how it is being investigated for clinical research. We look at what high blood pressure is, one of the key underlining systems involved: RAAS, and how current blood pressure medications target this system. We then look at the theory behind RNA interference medicaitons and why they are so exciting for scientists.Refrerences:Desai AS, Webb DJ, Taubel J, Casey S, Cheng Y, Robbie GJ, Foster D, Huang SA, Rhyee S, Sweetser MT, Bakris GL. Zilebesiran, an RNA interference therapeutic agent for hypertension. New England Journal of Medicine. 2023 Jul 20;389(3):228-38. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2208391Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Hypertension Cascade: Hypertension Prevalence, Treatment and Control Estimates Among US Adults Aged 18 Years and Older Applying the Criteria From the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association’s 2017 Hypertension Guideline—NHANES 2017–2020. 2021 Mar 22. Updated 2023 May 12. Accessed 2026 Mar 19. https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/data-reports/hypertension-prevalence.htmlHu B, Zhong L, Weng Y, Peng L, Huang Y, Zhao Y, Liang XJ. Therapeutic siRNA: state of the art. Signal transduction and targeted therapy. 2020 Jun 19;5(1):101. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-020-0207-xBetts JG, Young KA, Wise JA, Johnson E, Poe B, Kruse DH, et al. The adrenal glands. In: Anatomy and Physiology. OpenStax; 2013. Available from: https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/17-6-the-adrenal-glandsRomero CA, Orias M, Weir MR. Novel RAAS agonists and antagonists: clinical applications and controversies. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2015 Apr;11(4):242-52. http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/nrendo.2015.6Share with a friend. Rate, Review, and Subscribe to MedEvidence! Articles to be notified when new episodes are released.Follow us on Social Media:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInTiktokYoutubeFor more great content, including discussions by physicians and clinical research experts, check out the MedEvidence! Podcast and MedEvidence.comThank you for listening!