DENVER, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Myogen, Inc., a Colorado-based
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and
commercializing drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, along with
researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas,
today announced the first possible cardiac application of histone deacetylase
(HDAC) inhibitors. Inhibition of HDAC was shown in vitro to block cardiac
hypertrophy, a condition prominent in chronic heart failure patients.
In a paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Myogen and UT
Southwestern reported that inhibition of HDACs with small molecular inhibitors
blocks the development of pathological cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in cultured
cells. HDACs are a family of enzymes that remove acetyl groups from histones,
leading to chromatin remodeling and repression of gene transcription. Eighteen
distinct human HDACs have been discovered. Human HDAC inhibitors are under
clinical development for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including
cancer. This is the first report of a possible cardiac application of this
class of therapeutic agents.
"We are extremely excited about this discovery because HDACs represent a
rapidly emerging class of drug discovery targets. HDAC inhibitors have
already progressed to late-stage clinical development. It is also encouraging
that the chemistry of HDAC inhibitors is now becoming well understood and the
large number of isoforms of the class might make it possible to find compounds
that have some degree of specificity for the heart," said Dr. Richard
Gorczynski, Vice President of Research and Development at Myogen.
Small molecule HDAC inhibitors were found in the study to block
cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and the expression of hypertrophy marker genes and
to result in the up-regulation of alpha myosin heavy chain, the fast motor of
muscle contraction that disappears in heart failure.
"We have known for several years now that the Class II HDACs play a
pivotal role in suppressing fetal genes that are upregulated in pathological
hypertrophy. This new finding strongly implicates other HDACs in repressing
genes that protect the heart against pathological hypertrophy, which is
probably not too surprising given the importance of HDACs in regulating gene
expression in general," said Dr. Eric Olson, Chairman of the Department of
Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern. "Pathological cardiac hypertrophy
frequently progresses to heart failure, the largest cause of human morbidity
and mortality in the U.S., exceeding all combined cancers, and an acknowledged
epidemic by the American Heart Association. Presently, there are no effective
therapies for this disease. Thus, this new discovery opens exciting
opportunities for the development of novel cardiac drugs."
Myogen has filed appropriate patents covering this discovery and is
currently engaged in optimizing HDAC inhibitors for treatment of cardiac
hypertrophy and heart failure. This discovery is the product of an alliance
between Myogen and UT Southwestern that comprises a patent and technology
license agreement and establishes collaborative research programs targeting
the development of therapeutics for heart failure.
Myogen is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery,
development and commercialization of therapeutic drugs for the treatment of
cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of
death and disability in the United States, claiming more than one million
lives annually. The Company's academic founders, collaborators and staff have
been working for more than 20 years to define the molecular bases of
cardiovascular disease and to optimize its treatment. The Company believes
that its expertise provides it with the capability to discover, develop and
optimize therapies that address the underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular
disease, evaluate and in-license product candidates and guide clinical
development efforts. Myogen currently markets one product in Europe for the
acute treatment of advanced heart failure, and it has two product candidates
in late-stage clinical development for three cardiovascular indications. In
addition, the Company has developed a portfolio of molecular therapeutic
targets that it believes play key roles in heart disease. Myogen occupies
22,000 square feet of laboratory and office space in the Denver, Colorado area
and currently has approximately 50 employees. Please visit our website at
http://www.myogen.com.
SOURCE Myogen, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.myogen.com
CONTACT:
J. William Freytag, Ph.D., President & CEO,
+1-303-464-5221, bill.freytag@myogen.com, or Joseph L. Turner,
Chief Financial Officer, +1-303-464-5222, joe.turner@myogen.com,
both of Myogen, Inc.
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