Researchers to Present Findings at American Heart Association Scientific Sessions

Newswise — Researchers from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute will participate in 42 presentations at the American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions being held in New Orleans, La., from Nov. 8 through 12. Among findings that will be shared by Cedars-Sinai cardiologists and their colleagues:

• Unlike stem cells from other sources, a small reservoir of stem cells existing in the heart may be the best-suited cells for regenerating heart tissue because they are preprogrammed to become heart and blood vessel cells. A clinical trial will use these stem cells in an attempt to rebuild heart tissue in patients suffering heart failure or a recent heart attack, reports one of the nation’s leading experts on cardiac stem cell research.

• A mutant gene found in a population in Italy has become the center of a gene therapy strategy to protect against heart disease, according to a Cedars-Sinai researcher who is conducting preclinical trials.

• Women who rapidly transition through menopause are likely to have more rapid onset of heart disease, according to a Cedars-Sinai cardiologist who leads multicenter research studies on the unique factors involved in women’s heart disease.

• A new medication, prasugrel, may be effective in preventing ischemic complications (death, heart attack or stroke) following coronary intervention for patients with unstable angina and heart attack, but it appears to increase the risk of bleeding – and may have an overall undesirable risk-benefit ratio in some high-risk patients, say Cedars-Sinai cardiologists who have expertise in statistical methods and have carefully reviewed the drug studies.

Citation: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2008, New Orleans, La., Nov. 8 – 12.