HeartPace: Engineering the first biological Pacemaker for bradycardia patients
| Title | HeartPace: Engineering the first biological Pacemaker for bradycardia patients |
|---|---|
| Acronym | HeartPace |
| Start date | 2020-11-01 |
| End date | 2023-10-30 |
| Sponsor | Horizon 2020 (H2020) |
| Institution | University of Amsterdam - Academic Medical Center |
Associated cell lines
Project Description
Disease-causing slow heart rhythm (bradycardia) necessitates electronic pacemaker implantation in 1.25M patients yearly (upfront healthcare costs €7.9B). This therapy has serious limitations (non-physiologic responsiveness, lead malfunction, infection, limited battery life). As the aging society requires more pacemaker implantations, there is an urgent need for better treatment methods. HeartPace will deliver the first-ever biological pacemaker platform, based on adenoviral gene therapy, providing an improved alternative over electronic devices to treat bradycardia. To achieve this goal, the HeartPace project will develop a suite of novel technologies that can permanently restore and regenerate natural cardiac pacing. By the end of the project, we will provide i) a short-term pacemaker gene therapy ready to enter pre-CTA/IMPD studies and ii) proof-of-concept for long-term pacemaker gene therapy.