Alliance to Use Gene Therapy to Treat Heart Disease

An alliance to develop and commercialize a gene therapy technology to treat heart disease has been announced by Boston Scientific Corp. (Natick, MA, USA) and Corautus Genetics, Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA).

Boston has made a US$9 million investment in exchange for 10% of Corautus, has paid a $1 Million license fee for certain intellectual property, and has committed to purchasing up to $15 million of convertible debt from Corautus. Once regulatory approval is obtained, Boston has exclusive rights to distribute Corautus' vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGF-2) gene products.

The companies will focus initially on patients with severe ischemic heart disease who have been unresponsive to conventional therapies. A specially designed catheter delivers the genes to the heart without deactivating the gene. Early trials with the VEGF-2 therapy showed promising clinical improvements in heart disease patients, compared to similar patients receiving a placebo. The companies believe that introduction of VEGF-2 gene therapy may produce new blood vessels in heart tissue, thus increasing the blood supply and helping to relieve angina symptoms and improve heart function.

"We have been following this technology for several years, and we are increasingly impressed by its promise,” said Fred Colen, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Boston Scientific. "This alliance will combine Boston Scientific's catheter knowledge with Corautus'gene technology in an effort to develop a new generation of cardiovascular disease treatments.”





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