Omura J, Satoh K, Kikuchi N, et al. - Given the significance of right ventricular (RV) failure as a prognostic factor in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), researchers investigated a new therapeutic target in both PAH and RV failure. They obtained pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) from patients with PAH (PAH-PASMCs) and controls and carried out microarray analysis. In PAH-PASMCs and in the lung in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) in mice, upregulation of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 8 (ADAMTS8) was noted. Using vascular smooth muscle cell-specific ADAMTS8-knockout mice, they investigated the role of ADAMTS8 in PH. PASMC proliferation was increased, along with downregulation of AMP-activated protein kinase, as a result of ADAMTS8 overexpression. They used a cardiomyocyte-specific ADAMTS8 knockout mice (ADAMTS8^ΔαMHC) in order to determine the role of ADAMTS8 in RV function. Chronic hypoxia-induced ameliorated RV failure was seen in ADAMTS8^ΔαMHC mice. Mebendazole-induced attenuation in ADAMTS8 expression and cell proliferation was evident in PAH-PASMCs. Also, it caused the amelioration of PH and RV failure in PH rodent models. Based on these findings, ADAMTS8 was suggested as a new therapeutic target in PAH.