Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine

Coronary Artery Disease (Angina)

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States.  Also known as atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries," CAD is a slow process in which deposits of fat, cholesterol, and calcium build up inside the coronary arteries of the heart. These deposits, called plaque, lead to decreased blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle, which can cause angina (chest pain or discomfort). 

Out of the estimated 1 million people in the United States who suffer from chronic severe angina, about 300,000 cannot be helped by any traditional medical treatment such as angioplasty, coronary artery bypass surgery, or stents. This is called intractable angina, the severity of which is designated by a classification system that ranks angina severity on a scale from one to four.

The Program in Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine seeks to regenerate (repair and/or replace) damaged cardiac tissue for those patients with class 3 or 4 angina, meaning those patients that experience chest pain with normal to minimal activities such as brushing their teeth or even resting.  

Douglas W. Losordo, MD is the director of the Program in Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine.  It is through his years of experience and research that the following clinical research trial is being offered to patients with intractable angina:

A Double-Blind, Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study to Determine the Tolerability, Efficacy, Safety, and Dose Range of Intramyocardial Injections of G-CSF Mobilized Auto-CD34+ Cells for Reduction of Angina Episodes in Patients With Refractory Chronic Myocardial Ischemia (ACT34-CMI)

The goal of this trial is to determine the tolerability, safety, and effectiveness of autologous (one’s own) stem cells delivered with a catheter (tube) into the areas of the heart with poor blood flow. If successful it is expected that the stem cells would improve blood flow and therefore reduce chest pain. The stem cells being used in this clinical research trial are cells produced by the bone marrow that can develop into blood cells or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell.  This clinical research trial will examine if a patient’s autologous stem cells can grow new blood vessels and improve blood flow to the heart muscle.

This clinical research trial is being conducted at 20 different institutions in the United States.  Dr. Losordo is responsible for this trial on a national level (national principal investigator) and Charles J. Davidson, MD is responsible for this trial at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (local principal investigator).  Dr. Davidson is chief, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and medical director, Center for Coronary Disease at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and professor, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.  Additional co-investigators on this study include Keith H. Benzuly, MD, Nirat Beohar, MD, James D. Flaherty, MD, and Sheridan N. Meyers, MD.

More information about this clinical trial can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov.

Contact

If you feel you may benefit from this clinical research trial and for more information regarding Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine, please contact the Program in Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at (312) 695-0072.