Biotech Values

[drbio45]

article on qlt elongation





Battling Drug Failure

By Malorye A. Branca
Senior Informatics Editor
Mar 31, 2004

Major Groove:
Genaissance Targets Long QT Syndrome with Tests
Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) - a potentially deadly heart condition - is one of the banes of drug development. It is the second most common reason for drug failure after liver toxicity, and has forced the recall of many once-popular drugs, such as Propulsid and Seldane. Dozens of drugs still on the market can cause this condition in a small number of patients, or under certain conditions.

Those same characteristics make this a hot target for pharmacogenomics, of course, and Genaissance is hoping to be first with a test predicting patients at risk for LQTS. The company's plan is based on work around the hereditary form of the disease. Through its recent acquisition of DNA Sciences, Genaissance picked up intellectual property (IP) on mutations that cause inherited LQTS. "The genes and their sequences were discovered in part by folks at the University of Utah," says Richard Judson, senior vice president and chief scientific officer at Genaissance. "DNA sciences had licensed that IP."

Genaissance aims to launch a "home brew," or reference laboratory-based, test for familial LQTS within the next few weeks. That test will help quickly diagnose patients who present with troubling symptoms, such as loss of consciousness during exertion. Sudden death is common in this group and often strikes at a young age. Family members often seek screening as well.

While familial LQTS is a devastating disease, it affects relatively few people. An even bigger "pot of gold" lies in clinical trials. A test to weed out patients at high risk of acquiring this condition would greatly simplify drug makers' lives. Finally, there are many more people with advanced heart disease at risk of LQTS. But figuring out who those patients are won't be easy.

Judson says that "anecdotal evidence" points to the involvement of the same genes in both inherited and drug-induced LQTS. People with the acquired form probably just carry different genetic variations from those born with the condition. Genaissance now has to go through the arduous work of finding all those variants, confirming they are indeed the culprits, and creating a reliable test.

"We'll have a good handle on what the science tells us by the end of the year," says Judson, although he cautions: "It's a big problem that will require a lot of work."