This technology is a method for creating a biological pacemaker using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) expressing ion channels that are critical for the proper impulse initiation of the heart.
Electronic pacemakers are the current treatment for symptomatic atrioventricular block or sinoatrial node dysfunction. Unfortunately, electronic pacemakers have a limited ability to modulate pacing in response to exercise or other physiological cues and various devices, such as metal detectors, have been reported to interfere with pacemaker function. Furthermore, there are serious medical risks, such as intercurrent infection, associated with the implementation of the device and battery replacement procedures.
This technology uses hMSCs as gene delivery vectors for creating a biological pacemaker. Adult hMSCs are genetically modified to express ion channels that enable the pacemaker to mimic the healthy heart’s natural ability to generate and conduct electrical current. When implanted at precise locations in the heart, these hMSCs can restore proper impulse initiation and propagate the impulse to multiple heart chambers without any adverse effects.
This technology has been used to create catecholamine-responsive biological pacemakers in dogs that function stably for at least 6 weeks.
IR 1352
Licensing Contact: Jerry Kokoshka
