Promising Gene Therapy for Angina

A clinical trial of angiogenic gene therapy for patients with angina has demonstrated positive results. These were presented at the 50th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology, in Orlando, FL (USA).

The study evaluated the safety and anti-ischemic effects of five ascending doses of Ad5-FGF4 in 79 patients with chronic stable exertional angina. Of those patients treated with the larger dose, 50% improved at four weeks and 45% improved at 12 weeks, compared to 16% and 21%, respectively, in the placebo group. Ad5-FGF4 is human fibroblast growth factor-4, which was delivered into the coronary arteries through a standard catheter via a serotype 5 adenovirus vector. The therapy appeared to be safe and well tolerated

Anti-ischemic effects were assessed by measuring exercise time on a treadmill. The therapy is being developed by Collateral Therapeutics, Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA) and Berlex Laboratories, Inc., (Wayne, NJ, USA). The developers say it is the first report of human data concerning the safety of a single, nonsurgical intracoronary administration of a replication-deficient human adenovirus.

"A one-time administration during cardiac catheterization has the potential to be an important addition to current treatment options, which include bypass surgery, angioplasty, and drug therapy for the 6.2 million people in the United States alone who suffer from angina,” said Dr. Cindy Grines, William Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak, MI, USA), who made the presentation.




Related Links:
Collateral Therapuetics
Berlex Laboratories