NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Xention will study biomarkers to support the European Network for Translational Research in Atrial Fibrillation (EUTRAF), which has received a €12 million ($16.7 million) grant from the European Union to research this disorder, the company said today.
Under the agreement, Cambridge, UK-based Xention will characterize molecular biomarkers of abnormal function of ion channels linked to atrial fibrillation. It also will validate new ion channels for their therapeutic potential and will identify pharmacological tools for validating such channels.
EUTRAF is a consortium of universities and biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms around Europe that have joined together in a five-year AF study with the aim of improving diagnosis, prevention, and treatment for the disease, which affects around 6 million Europeans, or around one to two percent of the population.
The company said that AF increases the risk of stroke five-fold and it is responsible for one in five strokes, with many of these being fatal or crippling.