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John Easton, University of Chicago Hospitals, (773) 702 6241
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Tony Labriola, Mullen PR for HP, (508) 468-1155, [email protected]
RESEARCHERS USE MICE AND ULTRASOUND TO UNLOCK THE MYSTERIES OF HUMAN HEART DISEASE
New HP Imaging System Lets Researchers Peer Into the Tiny Hearts of Mice to Study the Progression of Heart Disease; Could Propel New Drug Development
PALO ALTO, Calif., June 17, 1997 -- Researchers at the University of Chicago Hospitals are unlocking the mysteries of human heart disease with a powerful new cardiovascular ultrasound imaging machine from Hewlett-Packard Company. The result of their efforts using mice could mean improved pharmaceutical treatments, prevention regimens, and possible genetic cures for the millions of humans suffering from heart disease worldwide.
Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, cardiology section chief at the University of Chicago, and his team of genetic researchers recently identified several genes that control mouse heart development and function. By manipulating these gene sequences, researchers at the university have successfully produced in mice models of human heart disease, such as congestive heart failure -- a debilitating disease that affects an estimated 2 million Americans annually.
Using a sophisticated new cardiovascular ultrasound imaging system developed by HP, the SONOS 5500, researchers now can obtain clear images of a mouse's heart and measurements of its heart function. These high-resolution images and quantitative measurements allow Leiden and Dr. Roberto Lang, director of Noninvasive Cardiac Imaging Laboratories at the University of Chicago, to study the progression of heart disease and the impact of treatments over time with precise control.
"Discovering novel treatments for heart disease requires the close collaboration between academia, clinicians and industry," said Leiden. "Our genetic research teams have developed transgenic mice models for the study of various forms of heart disease. This breakthrough, in conjunction with the new system from HP and the clinical expertise of our echocardiography laboratories, marks a dramatic improvement in the study of human heart disease."
Why Mice?
"The genes that control mouse heart development and function are similar to those that control the human heart. A mouse with congestive heart failure will display virtually the same physical symptoms as a human," said Leiden. "Studying the progression of the disease and the impact of drugs, exercise, diet and other factors provides us with a better understanding of how these treatments might affect humans -- before beginning human clinical trials."
The genetic code of a mouse is passed on from generation to generation. Therefore, one transgenic mouse can be used to breed entire test populations of genetically identical offspring. Because mice have a gestation period of only 21 days, this can be accomplished very quickly.
A mouse's heart is as small as a dime, however, and it beats up to 500 times per minute -- almost 10 times faster than a human heart -- making it extremely difficult for researchers to study a live mouse's heart using conventional medical technology.
"In the past, the only way to study the impact of therapies on the pathology of a mouse's heart was through autopsy," said Leiden. "Now, we can perform serial exams to study the long-term impact of various treatments on the same mouse, day after day, using noninvasive ultrasound technology. This opens up an entire new frontier for cardiovascular disease research."
"Using the HP SONOS 5500 system we are able to obtain images of the beating mouse heart with clarity and detail similar to that of a human's," said Lang. "We can see detail and function that was unattainable with ultrasound technology just a few years ago. In addition, we can quantify and document the extremely small changes in cardiac function, which is imperative for ongoing research."
"It costs more than $200 million and takes seven to 10 years to bring a new drug therapy to the general public," said Dr. Louis Lange, chief executive officer of Cardiovascular Therapeutics, a cardiovascular pharmaceutical company in Palo Alto, Calif. "The imaging and quantitative capabilities of these new technologies will allow us to study and document the impact of new therapies on cardiac function. This could help dramatically reduce the cost and time to market for many new cardiovascular drugs."
How Ultrasound Works
Cardiovascular ultrasound imaging technology functions much like a submarine's sonar system. High-frequency soundwaves are transmitted into the body via an ultrasonic transducer. When these waves encounter an organ, such as the heart, a return soundwave is transmitted back to the transducer. The ultrasound system gathers and analyzes these return soundwaves to construct an image of the functioning heart. Cardiologists can view these images in real time on a video monitor, save them on a video tape or digital optical disk, or transmit them to an online image management system for later review and comparison.
The HP SONOS 5500 system, introduced on June 3, is HP's next-generation, ultra-performance imaging system, combining exceptional image quality with innovative solutions for the assessment of cardiac anatomy, function and viability. The system features HP's sophisticated quantitative tools, which allow researchers to measure accurately and noninvasively changes in cardiac function for serial studies in human and animal subjects.
The University of Chicago Medical Center, based at the university's campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, is devoted to research, teaching and patient care and has long been a leader in cardiovascular research. Eleven of the university's 67 Nobel Prize winners were selected for their work in physiology or medicine, and scientists and physicians at the Medical Center have contributed to all fields of biological research.
HP's Medical Products Group, with headquarters in Andover, Mass., is a leading provider of clinical measurement and information solutions, and services and support for the healthcare industry, including cardiology, critical care, anesthesiology, obstetrics, neonatology, cardiovascular and radiology imaging and resuscitation. The group has 5,300 employees worldwide and had revenues of $1.4 billion in its 1996 fiscal year.
HP is the official information-technology hardware and maintenance supplier to the 1998 World Cup soccer tournament.
Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global provider of computing, Internet and intranet solutions, services, communications products and measurement solutions, all of which are recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 114,600 employees and had revenue of $38.4 billion in its 1996 fiscal year.
Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.
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