Richmond has enrolled and dosed the first patient in a clinical trial of a single treatment gene-editing medicine which could lead to a transformation in the care of cardiovascular disease.
VERVE-102, developed by Verve Therapeutics, is an investigational gene editing medicine designed to permanently turn off a particular gene in the liver in order to lower dangerous levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the blood.
Verve’s Heart-2 Phase 1b clinical trial is enrolling adult patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or premature coronary artery disease (CAD) - two patient groups who require deep reductions in blood LDL-C levels for a long period of time.
Patients living with HeFH have an inherited disorder characterized by elevated blood levels of LDL-C starting early in life. Patients living with premature CAD experience cholesterol-driven blockage of coronary arteries early in life and are at high risk of further complications. In both patient groups, failure to control LDL-C levels carries high lifetime risks for cardiovascular events, including heart attack and sudden death.
Richmond CEO Dr Jorg Taubel said, “We are delighted to be working further with Verve Therapeutics on a gene editing treatment which could substantially lower blood cholesterol in a single dose. As specialists in conducting gene editing trials, we are committed to getting faster answers for our clinical trial partners. In this case we have screened and dosed our first patient within 40 days of this trial receiving regulatory and ethical approval, which is a significant achievement for this type of study.”
Dr Taubel added that a further two patients are being readied for dosing at Richmond in the coming weeks.
Read Verve Therapeutics’ full announcement here