An experimental drug to treat heart failure that was orphaned over doubts it was effective, might be revived as it has now been determined through genetic research that the drug can be a lifesaver for some patients.

According to a new study that identified a specific gene, Arg-389 -- that approximately 50 percent of people carry -- the beta blocker drug bucindolol appears to be effective in prolonging the life of heart failure patients who carry the gene.

There is speculation that the drug will only come to market if it can show a commercial profit. Researchers are excited about this new drug discovery because it means that future medicine might be more effective if treatments are designed and specifically tailored to a patient's personal genetic makeup.

"For the first time, we have a genetic test that will help guide us to the best treatment for individual patients with heart failure and provide what has been called personal medicine," states Stephen Liggett, professor of medicine and physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. It could also bring back many experimental drugs once abandoned before the Human Genome Project was completed and genetics came into play.