April 26, 2012: MiRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics primarily for the treatment of patients who suffer from cardiovascular and muscle disease, announced today that scientific results published in the journal Cell reveal the central role of the heart in whole-body metabolism.  The data suggests that miRagen’s lead program, MIRG-9103 (antimiR-208), in addition to providing benefit in the setting of cardiac dysfunction, may have therapeutic utility in a variety of metabolic disorders that contribute to Metabolic Syndrome.  Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal blood lipid and cholesterol levels — that occur together, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.  The MIRG-9103 program is one subject of the cardiovascular drug development alliance between miRagen Therapeutics and Servier.  The research was conducted by miRagen scientists in collaboration with researchers at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

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