New Rochelle, NY, November 14, 2018–Mice with heart failure that were treated with AAV8-based gene therapy to deliver the protein urocortin 3 (UCn3) had increased blood levels of UCn3 over a 5-week period and improved heart function. The mice received a single injection of AAV8.UCn3 after cryoinjury to induce left ventricular heart failure and showed significant improvements in both systolic and diastolic heart function, as re-ported in an article published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article free on the Human Gene Therapy website through December 14, 2018.

IMAGE: HUMAN GENE THERAPY PRESENTS REPORTS ON THE TRANSFER AND EXPRESSION OF GENES IN MAMMALS, INCLUDING HUMANS. view more

CREDIT: MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC., PUBLISHERS

The article entitled “Urocortin 3 Gene Transfer Increases Function of the Failing Murine Heart,” was coauthored by H. Kirk Hammond, Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System and University of California, San Diego and a team of researchers from those institutions, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, and Institute for Molecular Cardiovascular Research, RWTH, Aachen, Germany.

The researchers presented data to support sustained elevation of plasma UCn3 levels and significantly improved left ventricular function (1.9 fold) and higher ejection fractions (32% relative increase) compared to mice who received a saline injection after cryoinjury.

“The outstanding group from the San Diego VA led by Dr. Hammond has continued to pioneer new viable gene therapy options for the extremely common problem of congestive heart failure,” says Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Pro-fessor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, Uni-versity of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P01 HL66941. The content is solely the responsibility of the au-thors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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About the Journal

Human Gene Therapy, the Official Journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Led by Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its companion journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of contents for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, and Cellular Reprogramming. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (https://www.liebertpub.com/) website.