Investigation of the safety and feasibility of AAV1/SERCA2a gene transfer in patients with chronic heart failure supported with a left ventricular assist device - the SERCA-LVAD TRIAL.

The SERCA-LVAD trial was a phase 2a trial assessing the safety and feasibility of delivering an adeno-associated vector 1 carrying the cardiac isoform of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (AAV1/SERCA2a) to adult chronic heart failure patients implanted with a left ventricular assist device. The SERCA-LVAD trial was one of a program of AAV1/SERCA2a cardiac gene therapy trials including CUPID1, CUPID 2 and AGENT trials. Enroled subjects were randomised to receive a single intracoronary infusion of 1 × 10 DNase-resistant AAV1/SERCA2a particles or a placebo solution in a double-blinded design, stratified by presence of neutralising antibodies to AAV.

A Portable Chemiluminescence Assay of Alkaline Phosphatase Activity To Monitor Pasteurization of Milk Products.

A chemiluminescence assay using a handheld luminometer to measure the activity of alkaline phosphatase was developed that can detect 0.002% or more of unpasteurized milk in various milk products. Evaluation of the assay followed an National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS)-approved protocol in which aliquots of pasteurized milk products were spiked with raw milk at various levels.

Prioritising transplantation for adult congenital heart disease, UK national data.

Objective: There are no multi-centre data on the outcomes of transplant for adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) outside of North America. The literature has identified a number of concerns for this population such as increased wait-list and early post-operative mortality. We investigated outcomes in a national cohort to see if these problems are replicated outside of America.