Recent research to block the effects of endothelin, a powerful substance that constricts blood vessels and stimulates cell growth, has led to successful treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and provides hope for treating other chronic diseases. The usefulness of the new drugs to treat congestive heart failure is much less clear, said Professor Matthias Barton, M.D. of the Department of Medicine at the University of Zurich School of Medicine.

Researchers at the University of Alberta have identified a "central command system" for pulmonary hypertension, a disease that currently has no cure and kills thousands each year.