Method of treating coronary artery disease by administering FGF-4

Patent Number: 7,511,019

Stimulation of angiogenesis for treatment of ischemic conditions would provide therapeutic solutions for conditions such as heart failure, peripheral artery disease, and even stroke, in which post-injury angiogenesis plays a major role.  Some companies, such as Medistem, are using cells such as the Endometrial Regenerative Cells (ERC) to stimulate angiogensis.  Others, such as the inventors of the current patent, are using growth factors.

The patent covers "A method for treating a human patient for coronary artery disease, comprising administering into one or more coronary vessels in a human patient in need of treatment for coronary artery disease a therapeutically effective amount of a recombinant fibroblast growth factor (FGF) having the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8"

Although this is FGF-4, other companies, such as CVBT are using FGF-1 for similar indications. It will be interesting to see how these therapies synergize with administration of bone marrow stem cells.

View this patent on the USPTO website.