MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE LAUNCHES TRIAL FOR NEW GENE TRANSFER DRUG STUDY

The new WALK study, led by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and sponsored by Genzyme, will determine if a new gene transfer treatment, Ad2/HIF-1a/VP16, helps ease the pain caused by intermittent claudication.

HIF-1a (Hypoxia-inducible factor-one alpha gene) is produced naturally in the body when there is not enough oxygen reaching the leg tissue. The study drug, Ad2/HIF-1a/VP16, is very similar to the HIF-1a the body naturally produces but has been genetically changed to include important biological characteristics that may grow new blood vessels and improve blood flow in legs.