Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
Ingolf Schimke
Berlin Cures GmbH, Germany
Keynote: J Clin Exp Cardiolog
With the fi nding of auto-antibodies directed against G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCR-AABs) in diseased subjects, mainly those suff ering from diseases of the cardiovascular system, a new class of auto-immune diseases (agonistic autoantibody disease) has been introduced. While auto-antibodies in the classic autoimmune diseases play a role in the destruction of their targets and target tissues, GPCR-AABs are so-called â??functional autoantibodiesâ? that agonistically activate their related receptors in a similar way to the physiologic agonists, but without controlling by mechanisms such as, for example, receptor down regulation. Cardiomyopathies such as idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), Chagasâ?? cardiomyopathy and peripartum cardiomyopathy present with auto-antibodies against G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCR-AABs) mainly such directed against the beta1-adrenergic and muscarinic-2 receptors which are clearly evidenced as driving the pathogenesis. Aims or objectives for the treatment of agonistic autoantibody disease, in particular DCM the removal of the GPCR-AABs by Immune-Adsorption (IA) have been studied with convincing patient benefi t. To overcome cost and logistics problems of IA, the application of a recently patented aptamer (BC 007; single short DNA molecule that bind high-specifi cally GPCR-AABs) for in vivo neutralization of GPCR-AABs could help. Using in vitro investigations and animal studies, the aptamer neutralized 1st in vitro beta1 and M2-AABs prepared from serum of cardiomyopathy patients and 2nd demonstrated its in vivo neutralizing potency aft er BC 007 treatment of GPCR-AAB positive animals. Furthermore, the same reduction of beta1-AABs was achieved when patients were either immune-adsorbed or patient serum containing the beta1-AABs was ex vivo treated with the aptamer. Th e clinical phase 1 trial of BC 007 is nearly completed. Recent Publications: 1. Becker N P, M?¼ller J, G?¶ttel P, Wallukat G, Schimke I (2017) Cardiomyopathy - An approach to the autoimmune background. Autoimmun Rev; 16: 269-286. 2. M?¼ller J, Wallukat G, Schimke I (2017) Autoantibody directed therapy in cardiovascular diseases. In: Nussinovitch U, editor. Th e heart in rheumatologic, infl ammatory and autoimmune diseases: pathophysiology, clinical aspects and therapeutic approaches. Elsevier. ISBN 9780128032671.
Ingolf Schimke has completed his PhD from Academy of Sciences of the German Democratic Republic and Postdoctoral studies from Humbold University of Berlin. Until 2014, he was the Professor for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine at the Charity-University of Medicine Berlin and is presently the Director of Research & Development at Berlin Cures GmbH. He has published more than 100 papers in reputed journals. He is serving as an Editorial Board Member of reputed journals.