Novel Drug Protects Against Heart Attack and Stroke

A trans-Atlantic partnership will work towards wrapping up the development of a drug designed to prevent cardiac ischemia and stroke by being both cardio-protective and neuro-protective.

Myocardial ischemia, which can be silent or symptomatic, is an intermediate condition in coronary artery disease during which the heart tissue is slowly or is suddenly starved of oxygen and other nutrients. Eventually, the affected heart tissue will die. When blood flow is completely blocked to the heart, ischemia can lead to a heart attack. Ischemia can also occur in the arteries of the brain, where blockages can lead to a stroke. About 80-85% of all strokes are ischemic. Most blockages in the cerebral arteries are due to a blood clot, often in an artery narrowed by plaque.

The drug under investigation is QGC002, a novel recombinant protein that acts to protect against both myocardial ischemia and stroke. The drug was discovered by investigators at the French Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), and their partner, Quantum Genomics Corp. (Jersey City, NJ, USA), will fund and conduct pre-clinical development and drug manufacturing. Investigators at Inserm will perform pharmacologic studies in relevant animal models of the targeted diseases.

"This partnership with Inserm provides QGC with a novel first-in-class drug that complements our pipeline,” said Mr. Lionel Ségard, CEO of Quantum Genomics. "It contributes further to enhance our ambition to provide innovative products to treat diseases with significant unmet medical needs.”

"This partnership with Quantum Genomics Corporation gives us a great opportunity to participate in the development of a novel biotherapy,” said Dr. Brigitte Onteniente, senior investigator at INSERM.


Related Links:
INSERM
Quantum Genomics Corporation