CVT Tangier Gene Discovery Selected by AHA as Top Ten 1999 Research Advances
In Heart Disease
PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ --
CV Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CVTX) announced today the establishment of the
Company's Tangier Drug Discovery Program to focus on discovering and
developing therapeutics to increase levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol.
CVT's discovery of the gene defect in Tangier disease was recently selected by
the American Heart Association as one of the top ten 1999 research advances in
heart disease and stroke.
CVT scientists and their collaborators have identified ABC1 as the gene
that is defective in Tangier disease patients. Tangier disease is a rare
genetic disorder which results in very low levels of high density lipoprotein
(HDL), and is associated with increased risk of heart disease. CVT scientists
also demonstrated that modulating the amount of ABC1 in cultured cells effects
the rate at which cholesterol is removed from cells. These discoveries were
presented at the American Heart Association's 72nd Scientific Sessions and
published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in 1999.
"The exciting new discoveries in the field of cholesterol efflux and HDL
production give us the opportunity to seek the means of removing excess
cholesterol from the blood vessel walls of Tangier patients as well as the
millions of people who face an increased risk of heart disease due to low
levels of HDL," said Richard M. Lawn, Ph.D, Vice President, Discovery Research
and head of the Tangier Drug Discovery Program at CV Therapeutics.
CVT scientists are continuing to build on the ABC1 discovery, with the
goal of finding compounds that may reduce plaque burden by increasing the
ability of the ABC1 protein to remove excess cholesterol from blood vessel
walls. To this end, CVT scientists are studying the function of ABC1 in cell
culture and animal models, and the ways in which cells modulate the production
of this key component in the pathway of cholesterol removal.
"The Tangier Drug Discovery Program is another example of how CVT utilizes
molecular cardiology, the application of molecular biology to cardiovascular
disease, with the goal of developing new mechanistically-based therapies for
those patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases," said Louis G. Lange,
M.D., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of CV Therapeutics.
The CVT Tangier Drug Discovery Program is developing or has developed a
number of key tools in its search for a drug to raise HDL. These include
analysis of the control elements of the ABC1 gene; use of recombinant DNA
expression systems and specific antibodies to study the structure and function
of the ABC1 protein; the development of high throughput drug discovery assays
and chemical screens based on ABC1 function and gene expression; the
development of animal models to test in vivo function and drug response; and
systems to identify additional potential targets in the pathway of cellular
cholesterol efflux. In addition, CVT's Tangier Drug Discovery Program will
continue to use gene expression microarray technology and access its network
of outside expert collaborators.
In addition to historical information, this press release contains
forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including,
but not limited to, uncertainties related to CVT's early stage of development
and clinical trials. Actual results could differ materially. Factors that
could cause or contribute to such differences are more fully discussed in
CVT's Prospectus dated October 6, 1999.
CV Therapeutics, Inc., headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, is a
biopharmaceutical company focused on applying molecular cardiology to the
discovery, development and commercialization of novel, small molecule drugs
for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. CVT currently has three drug
candidates in clinical trials. Ranolazine, the first in a new class of drugs
known as partial fatty acid oxidation (pFOX) inhibitors for the potential
treatment of angina, is in Phase III clinical trials. CVT-510, for the
potential treatment of atrial arrhythmias, is in Phase II clinical trials. A
third product, CVT-124, for the potential treatment of congestive heart
failure (CHF), is in Phase II clinical trials. For more information, please
visit CV Therapeutics' web site at http://www.cvt.com.
SOURCE CV Therapeutics, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.cvt.com
CONTACT:
Dan Spiegelman, SVP & Chief Financial
Officer, 650-812-9509, or Christopher Chai, Treasurer & Director,
Investor Relations, 650-812-9560, both of CV Therapeutics, Inc.
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