isoproterenol

In the past, researchers have tested this link by giving individuals drugs such as isoproterenol, which, like naturally occurring adrenaline, can safely speed up the heart rate.

Tissue maturity was necessary for achieving physiological responses to isoproterenol and recapitulating pathological hypertrophy, supporting the utility of this tissue model for studies of cardiac development and disease.

When they added isoproterenol, a medication that increases heart rate, the frequency of beating increased—and the color of the gel shifted more.

She says that Isuprel, the trade name for isoproterenol hydrochloride, which is used to treat cardiac arrest and heart transplant patients, now sells for $2,700 a vial, up from $50 just two years ago.

The shortage of isoproterenol complicates care for some critically ill heart patients, especially those who've had heart transplants, Fox says.