Broad Institute and Bayer extend their cardiovascular alliance

The Broad Institute and Bayer have extended their cardiovascular research collaboration of 10 years by an additional five years, further advancing their work in human genomics research in cardiovascular diseases.

First launched in 2015 and renewed in 2020, the program began as a recognition that while a majority of cardiovascular disease can be associated with lifestyle factors such as tobacco consumption, diet, and level of physical activity, genomics can influence an individual’s predisposition to cardiovascular disease, age of onset, and severity. The 2020 expansion of this collaboration went beyond genomics and included a focus on metabolic risks in cardiovascular disease, such as liver disease.

The newly expanded agreement will focus on joint precision cardiology target identification, leveraging the established human cardiomyocyte platform to rapidly validate observations, and on the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches. The agreement comes on the heels of Bayer's announcement regarding the initiation of a Phase I study with its investigational highly selective G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channel 4 (GIRK4) inhibitor, BAY 3670549, which resulted from this strategic alliance and has the potential to help control the electrical activity of heart cells in patients with atrial fibrillation.

“We are constantly striving to discover novel approaches to treat cardiovascular diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. Our shared commitment is to explore novel technologies and therapeutic targets in various cardiovascular and renal diseases to help deliver new treatment options to patients in need,” said Andrea Haegebarth, Ph.D., Global Head of Research and Early Development for Cardiovascular, Renal, and Immunology at Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division. “The first joint therapeutic project entered the clinic last month and we are excited to collaborate further with the esteemed scientists at the Broad Institute to identify and develop disease-modifying therapeutics treating underlying causes of cardiovascular diseases.”

“I am delighted to see Broad and Bayer continue this fruitful collaboration in cardiovascular research,” said Todd Golub, director and founding core member of the Broad Institute. “By working together, Broad and Bayer are able to make advances that neither organization could make on its own.”

Currently, scientists in the platform are working to develop potential treatment options for patients with specific forms of cardiovascular disease such as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a type of heart disease characterized by the enlargement of the heart's chambers, which leads to a decreased ability to pump blood effectively. This condition can result in heart failure and other complications if left untreated.