Ethris GmbH and Heqet Therapeutics srl, a company spun out last year from King’s College London, have entered into a collaboration agreement to harness the potential of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) for heart tissue regeneration following acute myocardial infarction and in heart failure.

The largest genetic analysis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) carried out to date has identified almost 100 new risk variants linked to the disorder. The study also highlighted a possible therapeutic target for this pathology that, at the moment, has no treatment. AAA affects 4% of people over 65 years of age in the U.S. and causes 41,000 deaths per year. The incidence is three to four times higher in men than in women.

Investigators from Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc. have presented the first preclinical data for BMN-293, a novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene transfer vector carrying the MYBPC3 gene. MYBPC3 mutations can cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart medical condition characterized by an abnormally thick myocardium, which makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood.

Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) is caused by mutations in the LDL receptor gene, resulting in unusually high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) in serum. Researchers from Epigenic Therapeutics Co. Ltd. presented the discovery of an epigenetic modulation therapeutic, EPI-001, for HeFH.

Tenaya Therapeutics Inc. has received clearance from the FDA of the company’s IND application to initiate clinical testing of TN-401.

Rejuvenate Bio Inc. has released new preclinical efficacy data for its gene therapy, RJB-0402, in a mouse model of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), an inherited disease caused by mutations in one of several genes encoding desmosomal proteins.

Evotec SE and Novo Nordisk A/S have announced the launch of Lab En2, a translational drug discovery accelerator that aims to advance early research from academic institutions into novel therapeutics.