Efficacy and Safety Study of Genetically Targeted Enzyme Replacement Therapy for Advanced Heart Failure

The American Heart Association (AHA) 2006 update on heart disease reported that 5 million Americans are believed to have symptomatic heart failure (HF), and 550,000 patients are newly diagnosed each year. The estimated direct and indirect cost of HF in the United States (U.S.) for 2006 will be \~$29.6 billion. Heart failure is a disabling chronic disease and the most frequent discharge diagnosis for hospitalization among older adults. Despite the significant resources expended on the treatment of this disease, outcomes remain poor. The five-year survival for individuals diagnosed with heart failure is less than 50%, and in end-stage heart failure, the one-year survival may be as low as 25% regardless of medical therapy. Recent studies suggest that the failing heart is not refractory to treatment, as was previously believed. For example, the observation that a small percentage of subjects with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) can be permanently weaned from their device strongly suggests that damaged hearts are capable of recovering lost function. Clinical studies of MYDICAR® have not yet been conducted in humans. Celladon Corporation (Celladon) proposes to investigate gene transfer as a method to restore SERCA2a function in heart failure (HF) patients using a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (AAV), which consists of an AAV serotype 1 capsid and contains the human SERCA2a complementary DNA (cDNA) flanked by Inverted Terminal Repeats (ITR) derived from AAV serotype 2 (AAV1/SERCA2a). MYDICAR® refers to AAV1/SERCA2a drug product intended for administration by percutaneous delivery.