LQT Therapeutics: targeting precision cardiology

Written Aug 10, 2021. Wrote blog post on Amplitude Ventures' investment in LQT Therapeutics. You can find the original here.

Today LQT Therapeutics announced the close of $19M US Series A Financing. We’re excited to lead this financing to build a company pioneering the development of precision therapies for genetic heart disease. LQT is another example of Amplitude’s strategy of creating, building, and growing innovative precision medicine companies.

The company was launched in 2019 by fellow VC and long-standing partner FSTQ based on the novel understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). We were interested in the early science and supported the founding team to continue to develop the chemistry and expand the pipeline to include resistant cancers. We’ve also known Paul Truex and Phillip Sager, two founding members of the LQT Therapeutics team, from their previous experience in cardiology drug development and are thrilled to work alongside them again at LQT Therapeutics.

What is LQT syndrome:

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heart rhythm condition that can potentially cause fast, chaotic heartbeats that can lead to sudden death. When the heart pumps your blood, it’s controlled by an electrical circuit that keeps the heart’s rhythm in check. When this heart rhythm is extended, this increases the length of time your heart beats.

This increase in QT interval, as seen above, can result in an irregular heartbeat leading to fainting, seizures or possible sudden death. The underlying mechanism of the disease involves ion channels within the heart that regulate the heart’s rhythm. There is a subset of patients who are born with congenital LQT syndrome caused by genetic abnormalities. These patients have defects in the ion channels in their heart which puts them at increased likelihood of developing the condition. Often undiagnosed, it is believed to result in 3,000 to 4,000 sudden deaths in children and young adults each year in the United States and Canada.

How LQT Therapeutics is solving the problem:

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death, impaired quality of life and healthcare resource consumption in the Western world. However, the number of clinical trials in the cardiovascular space has remained flat and one of the lowest amongst all therapeutic areas in the last 10 years.

Recent advances in genomics and molecular biology have shed light on the key mechanistic drivers of cardiovascular disease, opening the door for targeted therapies with the potential to reduce adverse effects and improve outcomes in stratified patient populations.

In LQTS, the signaling pathways that control these channels were recently elucidated by the company’s leading scientific advisors. Their research highlighted the potential for SGK1, a kinase involved in ion channel regulation, to correct the prolonged QT interval. The team has advanced a portfolio of potential therapies that target this underlying mechanism of disease to reduce the propensity for patients to develop life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

Why we’re excited:

LQT Therapeutics is a fantastic fit with Amplitude’s vision of creating, building and growing world-class Canadian precision medicine companies. With an exceptional leadership team in Montreal, Boston and San Francisco with extensive drug development experience in the cardiovascular space, a world-class SAB and the potential to expand the pipeline to other precision cardiac diseases, we’re excited to build LQT Therapeutics into becoming a leading precision cardiology company to bring novel treatments to patients.

-Amplitude team

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