Sangamo BioSciences Inc announced that Qunsheng Dai, M.D. received the Young Investigator Award from the Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology at the Society's 14th Annual Meeting held in Chicago June 6-8, 2003. Dr. Dai is a research associate in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center. The award was presented to Dr. Dai in recognition of his contributions to a study that demonstrated the effectiveness of using engineered zinc finger DNA binding protein transcription factors (ZFP TFs) to increase the formation of new blood vessels in ischemic tissue, a collaborative effort between Sangamo and Edwards Lifesciences Corporation.
The study employed the ischemic rabbit hind limb model and demonstrated that Sangamo's and Edwards' lead therapeutic, a ZFP TF designed to activate the endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, is capable of increasing the formation of new blood vessels resulting in a significant increase in blood flow in the ischemic limb.
Dr. Dai's work, described in an abstract titled "A Genetically Engineered Plasmid Encoding a Zinc Finger VEGF-Activating Transcription Factor Induces Angiogenesis in Rabbits with Hind-Limb Ischemia," was conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Brian Annex, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Therapeutic Angiogenesis Research Program at Duke University Medical Center.
"We are very proud of Qunsheng's success," said Dr. Annex. "The Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology Annual Meeting is a conference that attracts leading scientists and clinicians in vascular medicine to discuss the latest developments in the field. The study that Dr. Dai described used a novel genetic approach to stimulate the endogenous VEGF-A gene and these pre-clinical efficacy studies are quite encouraging."
"The results of Drs. Dai and Annex's study are very encouraging and validate our program to develop ZFP TFs as a novel treatment approach for peripheral vascular diseases (PAD) and ischemic heart disease," said Tyler Martin, Sangamo's vice president of development. "These data will form part of our submission package for an investigational new drug (IND) application for PAD. We congratulate Dr. Dai on this award and wish him continued success."