University Hospital Testing Angiogenesis to Grow C

University Hospital Testing Angiogenesis to Grow Coronary Vessels

First in the U.S. to Use New Growth Factor Protein

Contact : Erika Turan (513) 585-7200
Date: 11/06/2003

UC Heart and Vascular Center physicians are the first in the U.S. to inject a new growth factor protein (FGF1) in heart patients in an attempt to grow new coronary vessels. The procedure is part of a phase I clinical trial that tests the safety and efficacy of using FGF1 to grow new blood vessels, termed angiogenesis, in patients with angina due to coronary artery disease (CAD). The UC Heart and Vascular Center, in conjunction with The University Hospital, is one of only four sites nationwide to participate in the trial. Thirty-two patients will be enrolled in the national trial that is sponsored by CardioVascular Genetic Engineering of Tustin, California. Walter H. Merrill, M.D., chief of cardiothoracic surgery at UC, injected FGF1 directly into the heart muscle of the trial's first patient on Monday at The University Hospital. Dr. Merrill was assisted in surgery by Professor Thomas Stegmann, M.D., chief of cardiovascular surgery at Fulda Medical Center in Fulda, Germany. Dr. Stegmann has worked on the discovery and development of this growth factor for the past 10 years, and performed the first procedure in the world. The patient, 51-year-old Constance Donley of Edgewood, Kentucky, is being released from University Hospital today. A second patient, 54-year-old Claudia Robertson of Dayton, Ohio, underwent surgery on Wednesday to be the second person in the U.S. to have the procedure. During the procedure, patients receive up to two injections of the growth factor protein during minimally-invasive, beating-heart surgery. Supplementing the heart with the growth factor protein can result in the growth of new blood vessels, which in turn provides alternate routes for oxygenated blood to reach the heart muscle. FGF1 has the potential to provide an additional treatment option for those whose coronary artery disease cannot be adequately treated by the most common methods, such as bypass surgery, angioplasty and medications. "Some people have such severe coronary artery disease that conventional treatments such as stents or bypass surgery aren't an option for them. Angiogenesis represents a very promising treatment for the future," said Lynne E. Wagoner, M.D., principal investigator of the trial, director of cardiac services at The University Hospital and director of clinical trials for the UC Heart & Vascular Center. "This is an exciting new therapeutic option for patients who cannot be improved by any other means. Angiogenesis holds great potential to benefit patients in the future. Monday's procedure is representative of important collaborations between medical and surgical specialties that results in a spectrum of extraordinary care for patients with advanced heart disease," said Walter Merrill, M.D. Angiogenesis occurs in an orderly series of complex events: Diseased or injured tissues produce and release proteins called angiogenic growth factors, which bind to specific receptors located on the cells of nearby blood vessels. The cells begin to produce new molecules including enzymes, then divide and migrate outward, forming new blood vessels. Individual blood vessel tubes connect to form a network for circulation, and specialized muscle cells provide structural support to these newly formed vessels to facilitate blood flow throughout the body. The healthy body controls angiogenesis by balancing growth proteins with angiogenic inhibitors; the interaction between the two serves as an "on" and "off" switch for new growth. When growth factor proteins are produced in excess of inhibitors, blood vessel growth is more likely. UC Heart & Vascular Center is the marriage of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and vascular surgeons to diagnose and treat cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases. UC Heart & Vascular Center physicians and surgeons follow patients at The University Hospital, University Pointe, and The Christ Hospital Medical Office Building. For additional information, please call 888-5UC HEART (888-582-4327). The University Hospital is part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The Christ Hospital, The St. Luke Hospitals, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, go to www.health-alliance.com/pressroom.