June 23, 2014 — BG Medicine Inc. earlier this year announced the issuance of patent 8,672,857, titled “Galectin-3 and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy,” by the United State Patent and Trademark Office. The patent claims methods for predicting responsiveness to cardiac resynchronization therapy by the measurement of the concentration of the protein galectin-3 in blood.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy, also referred to as biventricular pacing, involves the implantation of a specialized pacemaker device to attempt to improve the heart's rhythm and alleviate symptoms associated with arrhythmia in heart failure.
"The issuance of this patent both strengthens and broadens BG Medicine's patent portfolio covering galectin-3 testing," said Paul R. Sohmer, M.D., president and CEO of BG Medicine. "We will continue to aggressively pursue the protection of our intellectual property related to galectin-3."
The BGM Galectin-3 test is cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an aid in assessing the prognosis of patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure when used in conjunction with clinical evaluation. It is also CE marked and available in Europe as an aid for patients diagnosed with acute and chronic failure, and in assessing the risk of new onset heart failure.
Galectin-3 is a protein that is involved in fundamental disease processes, including the development of fibrosis in organ tissues and cardiac remodeling, which may lead to the development and progression of heart failure. Higher levels of galectin-3 are associated with a more aggressive form of heart failure, which may make identification of high-risk patients using galectin-3 testing an important part of patient care. Galectin-3 testing may be useful in helping physicians determine which patients are at higher risk of hospitalization or death.
For more information: www.bg-medicine.com
October 09, 2019 
