Lexeo partners with Johnson & Johnson on cardiac gene therapy delivery

Lexeo Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: LXEO) announced a research collaboration with Johnson & Johnson to investigate localized cardiac delivery of gene therapy using Impella heart pump technology.

The collaboration combines Lexeo's cardiac genetic medicine expertise with Johnson & Johnson's cardiovascular therapeutics and circulatory technologies. The partnership aims to develop methods for concentrating adeno-associated viral (AAV) delivery to the heart through novel administration routes.

The research will explore using Impella heart pumps, which provide direct cardiac unloading to enhance myocardial perfusion, as a potential delivery mechanism for gene therapy. The approach seeks to reduce required AAV doses while targeting genetic causes of cardiovascular diseases.

"By concentrating delivery to the heart with localized routes of administration leveraging Impella heart pumps, we aim to substantially reduce required AAV doses and improve gene therapy safety while maximizing transgene expression and clinical efficacy," said R. Nolan Townsend, Chief Executive Officer of Lexeo Therapeutics.

Lexeo Therapeutics is developing a portfolio of genetic medicine candidates for cardiovascular diseases, including LX2006 for Friedreich ataxia cardiomyopathy and LX2020 for plakophilin-2 arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

The collaboration will focus on advancing preclinical development of a cardiac target using the combined technologies. The companies stated the partnership will enable accelerated development through novel, localized routes of viral gene therapy administration.

Information is based on a company press release statement.

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