CardioGene Therapeutics Cites Scientific Publication Of Smooth Muscle Cell Promoter Useful In Cardiovascular Gene Therapy.PRINCETON, N.J.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 17, 1997-- September Issue Journal Of Clinical Investigation The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI or J Clin Invest) is a leading biomedical journal, which is radically different from many of its peers in having a high impact factor (in 2006, 15.754) and offering all its contents entirely free. Describes Work CardioGene Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the September issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, describes the work, which is exclusively licensed to the company, of Michael Parmacek, M.D. and colleagues at the University of Chicago, who have created an adenoviral vector that incorporates a smooth muscle cell specific promoter. Smooth muscle cells surround veins and arteries and represent the single most significant target for the delivery of gene therapy constructs to treat cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease Disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Mentioned in: Lipoproteins Test cardiovascular disease . This achievement opens the way to a genetic treatment against the growth of smooth muscle tissue that can block arteries in heart patients. The lack of discrimination in the virus used to carry therapeutic genes has been a major obstacle to the advancement of cardiovascular gene therapy because a gene that inhibits smooth cell proliferation proliferation /pro·lif·er·a·tion/ (pro-lif?er-a´shun) the reproduction or multiplication of similar forms, especially of cells.prolif´erativeprolif´erous pro·lif·er·a·tion n. could be potentially harmful if expressed in the liver, lungs or other organs. Experiments conducted at the University of Chicago, found that the smooth muscle cell promoter, known as SM22a, was active only in smooth muscle cells and it showed no activity in liver and lung cells. In commenting on the invention Dr. Parmacek said, "The use of the SM22a promoter to restrict the expression of an adenovirus-encoded gene to smooth muscle cells is a major step forward and overcomes one of the major safety concerns with the use of these viruses to treat vascular proliferative pro·lif·er·a·tive or pro·lif·er·ous adj. Tending to proliferate. proliferative pertaining to or emanating from proliferation. diseases such as restenosis." Martin D. Cleary, President & CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , said, "The availability of a site specific smooth muscle cell promoter will overcome an essential limitation in cardiovascular gene therapy. A vector which has the potential to target smooth muscle cells exclusively will enable gene therapy product design which is free from consideration of distant, undesirable cell transfection trans·fec·tion n. Infection of a bacterium or cell with DNA or RNA isolated from a bacteriophage or from an animal or a plant virus, resulting in replication of the complete virus. ." CardioGene Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. dedicated to the development of novel gene therapy products for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, including proprietary delivery systems, requisite devices and vectors encoding See encode. therapeutic genes. The company encourages inquiries regarding both private investments and licensing opportunities for its current and future technology. Investment inquiries may be directed to Mr. Martin D. Cleary, President and Chief Executive Officer. CONTACT: Mullen PR Tony Labriola, 508/468-1155 tlabriola@mullen.com or CardioGene Therapeutics, Inc. Martin D. Cleary, 609/951-2280 |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion