Funding the white space

Celladon Corp. found no pharma partners for its Mydicar gene therapy following data from a small Phase I/II trial in advanced heart failure patients, but the results prompted the venture arms of three of the pharmas to take a stake in the biotech based on early signs of efficacy in a population with few options.

Mydicar is a recombinant adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector carrying the gene for sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase Ca++ transporting cardiac muscle slow twitch 2 (ATP2A2; SERCA2A). The gene is a regulator of myocardial contractility...