Target Heart

Targeted Heart is a biotechnology company specializing in the development of gene therapies for cardiovascular diseases, with a primary focus on congestive heart failure. The company was founded by Dr. Roger Hajjar, a leading expert in cardiac gene therapy, to advance treatments that improve heart function by modulating calcium handling proteins. Its lead program utilizes an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector to deliver a constitutively active form of Protein Phosphatase 1 inhibitor-1 (I-1) to the myocardium. In 2019, Targeted Heart was acquired by Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio), which was subsequently acquired by Bayer, to integrate its cardiac gene therapy expertise into a broader genomic medicine portfolio.