Fibrex Medical launches clinical trials of heart muscle treatment
The go-ahead has been given for the first clinical study of a treatment against damage caused by heart attacks using FXO6, a peptide developed and patented by Austro-American company Fibrex Medical.
The go-ahead has been given for the first clinical study of a treatment against damage caused by heart attacks using FXO6, a peptide developed and patented by Austro-American company Fibrex Medical.
Fibrex will now test the tolerability and pharmacokinetics of FXO6 in humans. The peptide reduces inflammatory responses of the heart muscle that can arise after treatment for a myocardial infarction. Tests will begin immediately on the first healthy subjects at the Vienna General Hospital.
Damage to the heart muscle arising from treatment of a heart attack is known as reperfusion injury. During an infarction part of the heart muscle is cut off from the blood circulation, and acute treatment aims to restore the blood flow to this area as fast as possible. This can often be achieved through surgical procedures, but oxygen radicals may form and provoke an inflammatory response in the heart muscle, which can cause irreversible damage.
In March 2005, leading venture capitalists put up more than US$10m to fund the development the fibrin-derived peptide FXO6. This investment decision by Atlas Venture, EMBL Ventures, Global Life Sciences Venture and Mulligan BioCapital reflects the fact that finding an effective drug for mitigation of reperfusion injuries is widely viewed at one of the next big things in cardiovascular medicine.
More than 7.5m revascularisation procedures are carried out annually in the US, Europe and Japan alone and 10% of the cost of bypass operations goes on treating complications such as reperfusion injuries.