Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals and University of Maryland Share NIH Grant
Research to Develop Radiopharmaceuticals for Monitoring Activity of ACE in Congestive Heart Failure
Cambridge, MA, August 26, 2004 – Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced new funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a novel class of molecular imaging pharmaceuticals to detect and non-invasively monitor the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in patients with congestive heart failure. The research will be conducted jointly by the company and the Nuclear Medicine Division of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
"Although the U.S. spends over $7 billion a year for ACE-inhibition therapy to control high blood pressure and manage heart disease, the full role of this enzyme in heart failure remains poorly understood," said John Babich, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals. "This grant supports the development of a unique way to study the role of ACE in health and disease through the design of novel radiotracers whose activity can be visualized through molecular imaging."
The grant is based on the company's proprietary single amino acid chelate (SAAC®) platform technology that incorporates current understanding of ACE inhibitor drug design to rapidly build and screen peptide-based libraries. The project builds on research conducted by Vasken Dilsizian, M.D., while he was at the National Institutes of Health. He is currently Director of Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine and Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography (PET) at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
"The findings from this study could lead to a new generation of molecular imaging pharmaceuticals able to non-invasively identify patients with altered levels of ACE. This knowledge would facilitate timely treatment before the heart transitions to replacement fibrosis and remodeling," said Dr. Dilsizian. "By understanding the behavior of ACE in congestive heart failure, we will be closer to answering the question of whether early intervention can preserve left ventricular function and improve clinical outcomes."
About Nuclear Medicine at the University of Maryland
The University of Maryland was founded in 1807 as the fifth medical school in the country. The University of Maryland Hospital was established in 1823 as the Baltimore Infirmary, the clinical teaching unit of the School of Medicine. Today, the University of Maryland Medical System/Hospital is an 800 bed facility with a large out-patient department located a few blocks from the heart of Baltimore's business district, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Baltimore Ravens' football stadium, and the revitalized Inner Harbor-"Harborplace". The Division of Nuclear Medicine specializes in diagnostic imaging of dynamic aspects of physiology and pathology using radioactive tracer agents. It is physically and administratively an integrated part of the Department of Radiology and is equipped with advanced PET/CT scanner and six SPECT scanners, four of which are dual head imaging devices. The faculty holds multiple NIH and (DOD) funded grants related to developing diagnostic and therapeutic radiobiologics as well as Investigator Initiated Research Grants funded by industry. These grants are supported by a 4500 sq. ft. laboratory and animal-imaging complex dedicated to radiopharmaceutical research. The Division provides a two-year ACGME accredited residency in Nuclear Medicine, and there is ample opportunity to participate in FDA approved therapeutic protocols and clinical trials.
About Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on leveraging its proprietary technology platforms in molecular medicine to develop innovative pharmaceuticals to diagnose and treat disease. These products are designed to improve the management of disease by targeting, visualizing, treating and monitoring disease at the molecular level. The company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has established a strong pipeline of molecular imaging candidates focused on the large and growing markets in cardiology, oncology and neurology. Molecular Insight is also applying its platform technologies to develop targeted radiotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer.
Contact:
Priscilla Harlan
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(617) 492-5554