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Medtronic and Genzyme Combine Their Cell Therapy Approaches to Serious Heart Disease

To help guide it through the world of cardiac biologics, Medtronic's enlisted the help of biotech Genzyme. Medtronic has drug delivery devices and imaging expertise: Genzyme offers focused cell therapy research in cardiac repair and heart disease and has an up-and-running Phase II trial using autologous skeletal myoblasts. Both companies label the deal as strategic--for now. But 2006 is presumably the earliest newly formed MG Biotherapeutics will begin to commit heavily to this problematic endeavor.

Medtronic Inc. is as well positioned as any device company to explore the first wave of opportunities for developing device/biologic combination products—and potentially revolutionize clinical therapy and the device industry. It has significant plays in two key areas, orthopedic biomaterials and drug eluding stents (DES), with Infuse (the bone-growth factor BMP-2, used in spine repair) and leading cardiac device businesses that should soon include a line of DES.

Indeed, one of the champions of device/biologic convergence leading to better treatments for severe cardiac disease is Stephen Oesterle, MD,...

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