ScienceDaily Magazine -- Gene Therapy To Treat Angina Appears Safe Gene Therapy To Treat Angina Appears Safe
DALLAS, Feb. 26 – Transferring growth factor genes into the heart appears safe and shows promise for treating the debilitating chest pain known as angina, according to a report in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
The Angiogenic GENe Therapy (AGENT) trial is the first placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of the therapy in humans and tested the safety and effectiveness of injecting a growth factor gene into the heart. Researchers found unexpected but significant improvements in exercise times for the sickest group of patients who received the gene therapy.