Treating and reducing cardiac dysfunction with bisphosphonate compositions by increasing the phosphorylation of kinases in heart tissue

Value Proposition

The prevalence of heart failure (“HF”) has grown to epidemic proportions as the population ages. HF may be caused by many forms of heart disease. Each of these disease processes can lead to heart failure by reducing the strength of the heart muscle contraction, by limiting the ability of the heart's pumping chambers to fill with blood due to mechanical problems or impaired diastolic relaxation, or by filling the heart's chambers with too much blood. There is an immediate need for therapeutic agents that prevent and/or reverse the damage caused by myocardial dysfunction without harming healthy cells. Due to the serious side effects that limit the use of the present drugs, a new class of drugs with a completely different mode of action is desirable.

Technology

Duke inventors have reported a method for treating cardiac dysfunction and related diseases. This is accomplished by administering a bisphosphonate compound, a class of drugs that have been commonly used for over 30 years to treat skeletal disorders caused by increased osteoclastic bone resorption. The reported link between reduced mortality and bisphosphonates is likely related to activity of heart tissue kinases. The increased expression and/or phosphorylation of kinases induces numerous activities that are beneficial to heart tissue. This invention has been demonstrated in mouse models.

Advantages

• A new mode of action for treating patients who have or at risk of heart failure
• As commonly used FDA approved drugs, the safety profile of bisphosphonates is well-documented
• Strong evidence in the literature supporting the efficacy of this method