Scientists successfully conducted a first-in-human, FDA-approved Phase 1 clinical trial of an injectable hydrogel that aims to repair damage and restore cardiac function in heart failure patients who previously suffered a heart attack. After a heart attack, scar tissue develops, which diminishes muscle function and leads to heart failure. This is where VentriGel comes in. Once injected in damaged cardiac muscle, VentriGel forms a scaffold that acts as a reparative environment where healthy cells migrate, leading to increases in cardiac muscle, less scar tissue, and improvements in heart function.
VentriGel was invented by Professor Karen Christman and her team, then licensed from UC San Diego and developed by Ventrix, Inc, which was cofounded by CEO Adam Kinsey and Christman.
VentriGel is made from cardiac connective tissue taken from pigs, which is stripped of heart muscle cells through a cleansing process. It is then freeze-dried and milled into powder form, and then liquefied into a fluid that can be easily injected into heart muscle in a minimally invasive procedure that does not require surgery. Once it hits body temperature, the liquid turns into a semi-solid, porous gel.
Ventrix is now gearing up for a Phase 2 clinical trial that will expand on this successful first-in-human study.
Ref: Jay H. Traverse, Timothy D. Henry, Nabil Dib, Amit N. Patel, Carl Pepine, Gary L. Schaer, Jessica A. DeQuach, Adam M. Kinsey, Paul Chamberlin, Karen L. Christman. First-in-Man Study of a Cardiac Extracellular Matrix Hydrogel in Early and Late Myocardial Infarction Patients. JACC: Basic to Translational Science, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.jacbts.2019.07.012
