Partners

We are excited to be working with the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club (ACKCSC) and proud to be sponsored by the ACKCSC Charitable trust.

FAQ

What is MVD?

Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) is caused by a malfunction of the Mitral Valve. The Mitral Valve is a one-way valve that separates two chambers in the heart and prevents retrograde flow into the upstream chamber. Over time, the Mitral Valve may degenerate or prolapse, allowing a back-flow of blood into the left atrium. The consequences are an increase in left atrial volume, congestive heart failure and eventually death.

How would our therapy work?

Our therapy is a gene therapy similar to others that have been approved for use in humans. It does not edit or change any genetic material in animals. Instead, it introduces a new piece of DNA into the dog’s cells, which then produces a beneficial protein with the potential to stop the progression of MVD. This is done by halting the build-up of scar tissue in the heart, which is correlated with the progression of heart failure. This newly introduced piece of DNA is not passed on to the next generation and is not transmissible between dogs.

What have you seen so far?

Our approach has demonstrated the ability to stop the progression of heart failure in mice. After receiving our treatment, mice with heart failure had cardiac measurements that are similar to those of normal mice and exhibited up to 85% less scar tissue in their hearts, compared with mice that received a placebo therapy (paper). We launched a safety study in dogs and have seen that the therapy produces no adverse side effects.

Are you editing the genome or using CRISPR?

No, we are not editing the genome, nor are we using CRISPR. We are using an older and more proven technology that leaves the animals’ genetic material untouched and intact. The therapeutic effects of our approach are achieved by supplying extra pieces of DNA that remain separate from the animals’ original genome and produces a beneficial protein to combat heart failure.

For which dog breeds and diseases could this treatment be relevant?

We will test our new therapy in dogs with MVD across all breeds, but are starting with a trial in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Since the treatment works to suppress fibrotic processes, we believe it could be applied to other heart diseases such as Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in the future. DCM is a condition characterized by a primary thinning of chamber walls and subsequent weakness of the cardiac muscle. DCM eventually leads to congestive heart failure and/or sudden death in affected dogs.

How does this affect breeding programs? Will this mask dogs that have heart failure and allow them to continue to breed? Shouldn’t we just try to breed MVD out of the dog population?

While breeding MVD out of the dog population is worthwhile, efforts to date have been unsuccessful for a number of reasons. For example, MVD symptoms often do not present until later in life — after the start of breeding. Genetic tests have yet to identify a single gene (or specific combination of genes) that can accurately predict, or identify, a predisposition for MVD. In the meantime, we are doing our best to develop a treatment that may extend and improve the quality of life for the dogs that we love.

When will the trial start, where will it be, when and how will you select dogs, how do I sign up?

The trial has launched at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Please find more information on the study and how to sign up here. Tufts will be selecting dogs that are in stage B2 of heart failure about a month before the study starts. To submit your name for consideration or to receive information about the study please fill out the following form.