Myogen Inc has received a Small Business Innovation Research ("SBIR") grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health ("NIH"). This new grant totals more than $750,000 over a two-year period to investigate the development of inhibitors of cardiac hypertrophy as drugs for chronic heart failure.

"Dr. Eric Olson, founder and scientific collaborator of Myogen, discovered that MEF2, a transcription factor that controls gene transcription in the heart, is responsible for cardiac hypertrophy associated with heart failure," said Dr. Richard Gorczynski, Vice President of Research and Development at Myogen. "Our data suggest that if we can find compounds that selectively inhibit MEF2 signaling in the heart, these compounds will have the potential to protect the heart from pathologic remodeling and reverse the disease process. The proceeds from this grant will be used to accelerate our drug discovery program aimed at the identification of lead compounds that inhibit MEF2 dependent signaling as a treatment of chronic heart failure."

Heart failure is a debilitating condition that occurs as the heart is progressively less able to pump an adequate supply of blood to meet the energy requirements of the body. The heart compensates by enlarging and forcing itself to pump faster and harder to circulate more blood, which increases muscle strain, ultimately leading to further weakness.

Therapies available today have little effect on the natural progression of the disease.

Heart failure is the single most serious health problem facing the U.S. healthcare system today, affecting more than 5 million Americans with approximately 400,000 new cases reported each year. About 50% of patients with heart failure die within five years of being diagnosed.