Pioneering Therapeutics to Preserve Heart Function

Revolutionising Treatment of Myocardial Infarction

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forcefieldtx.com

Best-in-class therapeutics to retain heart function via protection of cardiomyocytes

A transformational search engine which enables the discovery of new ways to protect the heart
Our Approach

Forcefield’s unparalleled approach can protect heart cells, minimising the impact of a heart attack (Myocardial Infarction or MI) and preventing the cascade of events that may lead to subsequent heart failure.

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Cardiomyocytes

We are all born with a set number of heart cells or cardiomyocytes (CM) and you need to maintain these to live a normal, healthy life.

Inadequate blood flow to the heart (ischemia), as occurs during heart disease, causes physiological stress to cardiac cells. Stress lasting more than approx. 30 mins causes death of the cells and lasting damage whereas reversal of ischemia within this period preserves cellular function.

This loss of CMs can be significant during myocardial infarction (MI) when as many as 30% of the total 2-4 billion cells in the affected area can die and cannot be replaced by the body.

The extent of cell loss during an MI event defines future cardiac health and a patients healthy lifespan. In the US the median time from MI symptoms to treatment (usually percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or “stent”) is 185 mins, meaning most patients experience inevitable irreversible damage, with damage increasing in those patients with delayed time to PCI.

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Myocardial Infarction (MI)

The problem is huge, and Myocardial Infarction remains the most common cause of heart failure worldwide.

  • 28% of those suffering MI will progress to heart failure with recurrent hospital readmissions (35-50% within six months) and poor prognosis (cumulative five-year mortality rate of 40-50%)
  • Heart failure affects c.38 million people and stands as the main cause of death and disability
  • In the US alone heart failure prevalence was 6.9 million in 2020 and is forecast to increase 24% in 2030
  • Annual global heart failure costs were $108 billion in 2012
0
m

Five million PCI (stents)
globally annually

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%

Progress to
heart failure

$
0
k

Annual median cost
of treatment in US

0
%

Reduction in remaining
life expectancy

This is a particularly exciting therapy to develop as it acts directly on the heart unlike most other drugs we currently use after MI, which target neurohumoral pathways or platelet function.

It therefore has the potential to effect major improvements in patient outcome. Moreover, it would involve a very focused and time-limited treatment over just 1-2 days.

Prof. Ajay Shah
Clinical Advisor
Disease Condition