HEALTH AND WELLNESS, RESEARCH
Can research gleaned from a hibernating snail save a human heart?
AUGUST 26, 2026 BY SARAH VERNON
The humble snail’s ability to hibernate could be the key to a new drug with potential applications ranging from organ transplantation and heart attack care to extending our lifespan. (Photo: Supplied)
University of Alberta researchers have discovered a novel drug that unlocks the secret of snail hibernation, allowing them to safely put non-hibernating animal organs into a deep metabolic sleep.
The study, published in Nature Communications, is led by Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI). The breakthrough could have clinical implications ranging from organ transplantation and heart attack care to longevity medicine, or even inducing hibernation in astronauts of ultralong space travel.
“This is the first direct transfer of hibernation biology, which has remained enigmatic for decades, to non-hibernators,” Michelakis says. “It could improve the usability of offered organs and the lives of transplant patients and their loved ones.”
While hibernating animals naturally resist tissue damage caused by a lack of blood flow (ischemia) and its sudden return (reperfusion), humans are highly vulnerable to these injuries. To bridge this gap, researchers replicated a natural hibernation molecule found in snails to create a drug called SNAP (Snail Activator of PHLPP1). SNAP temporarily manages how cells consume oxygen, safely shielding tissues from stress.
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This is the first direct transfer of hibernation biology, which has remained enigmatic for decades, to non-hibernators. It could improve the usability of offered organs and the lives of transplant patients and their loved ones.
Evangelos Michelakis
Modelling the process in mouse hearts, the team showed that SNAP successfully prevented injury and preserved heart function. This means that SNAP could be used to prevent injury to transplant organs during transport from donor to recipient, a major problem in transplant medicine. Beyond transplants, SNAP may also be beneficial in patients with heart attacks undergoing procedures to open blockages, as well as in targeting tumours and in anti-aging research.
“SNAP decreases senescence in stressed cells,” explains co-author and postdoctoral scholar Dr. Jiyuan Piao. “This means that SNAP may also be beneficial in longevity medicine, in keeping with the fact that, during hibernation, animals exhibit slower aging rates.”
The study was funded by grants from the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the Canadian Institutes of Health Researchand the University of Alberta Hospital Foundation.
