Cardion: Reprogramming diseased systems
Most treatments for serious diseases alleviate or control symptoms, but don't provide cures. Cardion AG is looking to combine its stem cell and gene therapy technologies and its immunotherapeutic proteins to provide curative treatments for cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases and diabetes. The company's goal is to create cell transplantation products to replace damaged tissue in conditions such as Type I diabetes and myocardial infarction, and to selectively reprogram the patient's immune system in the transplantation, inflammation and autoimmunity settings.
Cardion's lead gene therapy product, NOStentin, is a non-viral local gene therapy using a lipid vector to treat restenosis in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty. Local deposition of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene in the blood vessel wall segment exposed to angioplasty is designed to result in transient, local production of nitric oxide, a natural regulator of vessel patency. The company hopes that the treatment will prevent re-occlusion...