Genetic Calcium Channel Blocking Therapy

C04144: Genetic Calcium Channel Blocking Therapy

Novelty:

This technology involves genetic therapy for focal modulation of calcium channel activity, effectively preventing, treating and reducing the severity of many calcium channel related disorders.

Value Proposition:

Calcium channels are vital for normal functions of many biological processes however, abnormal modulation of these channels can foster a variety of ailments including arrhythmias, hypertrophy, apoptosis, and cardiac remodeling. Current pharmacological calcium channel blockers used to resolve these issues are often accompanied by potentially life-threatening side-effects, most of which are due to the non-specific interaction of the therapeutics. This technology institutes a focal gene delivery method which is highly specific to the problematic area. Additional advantages include:

Technical Details:

Johns Hopkins researchers developed a method to focally inhibit L-type calcium current. A gene, which has previously been reported to decrease trafficking of calcium channels to the cell surface and therefore inhibit calcium current, was overexpressed in the heart by somatic gene transfer. As a result, the L-type calcium current was significantly decreased. Further functional analyses confirmed that gene therapy with this gene effectively modulates cardiac electrical and contractile function. This genetic calcium channel blocker can be applied to various heart diseases as well as medical conditions related to neurons, skeletal muscle or smooth muscle.

Looking for Partners:

To commercialize this invention as a novel gene therapy targeting calcium channels.

Stage of Development:

Pre-Clinical

Data Availability:

In vivo gene transfer and the following functional analyses were performed in guinea pigs

Publications/Associated Cases:

Circ Res. 2004;95:398-405