Arjun Deb, MD, a UCLA professor of medicine and biology, received a $6 million award from CIRM to advance his research on heart attack and heart failure treatments.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, responsible for about one-third of all deaths. A heart attack causes permanent heart muscle damage and often leads to heart failure.

No current therapies effectively improve heart repair after a heart attack, making heart failure a major medical challenge.

Dr. Deb’s team engineered a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets ENPP1, a protein that worsens heart damage through inflammation and fibrosis. By blocking ENPP1, this one-time treatment aims to limit inflammation, reduce fibrosis, and prevent heart failure.

New therapies needed

Preclinical studies show that one dose of the therapy can prevent scar tissue and improve heart function.

The new grant will help Dr. Deb’s group scale drug manufacturing and continue safety and efficacy studies in larger animals. The team plans to complete all preclinical testing and file an Investigational New Drug application. They hope to begin a phase 1 clinical trial within one to two years.

The need for new therapies is urgent. Nearly 7 million people in the United States live with heart failure, and only half survive five years after diagnosis. In California, cardiovascular disease causes almost one-third of all deaths.

“We are very grateful for agencies such as CIRM who supported this project from the beginning,” said Dr. Deb. “We hope to deliver this new therapy to millions of people with heart failure in California and beyond.”

Dr. Abla Creasey of CIRM added, “Preventing heart failure after a heart attack is a major unmet need. It is exciting that a single treatment could potentially prevent heart failure.”

This work highlights the promise of Dr. Deb’s research and offers new hope for people at risk of heart failure.