British scientists have launched a pioneering trial to see whether gene therapy can potentially replace heart transplants. Lee Adams, a 37-year-old carpenter from Hertfordshire, is the first of 24 patients with advanced heart failure to be recruited. Like all the other participants, he has been fitted with a mechanical pump to keep his blood flowing while waiting for a suitable donor heart. SEE ALSO: Bears: Wise Teachers In The Fight Against Diabetes And Obesity How Smelling Farts Can Save Your Life (This Is Not A Prank) The study is the first in the world to investigate the use of gene therapy in heart failure patients kept alive by a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). Sixteen randomly chosen patients will be treated with a corrective gene to help their hearts beat more strongly. Eight others are to receive a "dummy" placebo therapy. Mr Adams, who has had an LVAD for more than two and a half years, does not know which group he is in because the trial is "blinded". He said: "Of course the best thing that could happen would be for my heart function to show signs of improvement and for the gene therapy to prove to be a … Continue reading →

The therapy involves injecting a harmless altered virus into the blood stream [GETTY/PIC POSED BY MODEL] Lee Adams, a 37-year-old carpenter, is the first patient in the world to take part in a gene therapy trial while wired up to a mechanical heart pump. The study is to investigate the use of the therapy on 24 patients with advanced heart failure, recruited from Harefield Hospital, London, and Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire. All the participants are kept alive by a Left Ventricular Assist Device while they wait for heart transplants. Many such patients endure agonising delays in finding a suitable donor. Sixteen randomly chosen patients will be treated with a corrective gene to help their hearts beat more strongly. Eight others will receive a dummy placebo therapy. Lee, from Rickmansworth, Herts does not know which group he is in. He said: Of course the best thing that could happen would be for my heart function to show signs of improvement and for the gene therapy to prove to be a miracle cure. No matter what the cause of the heart failure, the therapy should be equally beneficial for patients Read the original: Gene therapy could replace heart transplant operations … Continue reading →

Stamford, CT (PRWEB) August 11, 2014 Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, Inc. (ACGT) the nations only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene therapies for cancer has announced that David Darst and Alexandra Landes have joined the foundations Board of Directors. Both Darst and Landes lost their mothers to cancer and share a commitment to uncovering innovative methods for treating cancer with reduced side-effects. ACGT is based in Stamford, CT and funds top physicians and researchers at medical institutions in the US and Canada. The foundation supports a number of gene therapy treatments including immunotherapy, which activates patients own immune systems to battle cancerous cells. Recently, the FDA granted fast-track status to an immunotherapy treatment for leukemia for which ACGT provided early funding. ACGT has given almost $25 million in grants to researchers since its founding in 2001 by Barbara Netter and her late husband, Edward. David Darst, a 32-year-old New York City resident, is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. Darst has held positions with Pfizer, Orbimed Advisors, and a slate of other companies that are working to develop and finance new drugs in the biotech industry. Darst is currently the CEO at Rgenix, Inc., where … Continue reading →