CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly five million Americans
have congestive heart failure, half of which is classified as non-ischemic
heart failure. The cause remains unknown, but it is not due to blockage of
the heart vessels. Over a half million new cases are diagnosed each year.
Roger Hajjar, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Judith
Gwathmey, VMD, Ph.D. of Gwathmey, Inc., both fellows of the American Heart
Association, have teamed up on a promising new therapy for non-ischemic heart
failure.
Dr. Roger Hajjar, a leading investigator in heart failure research and
gene therapy will present "Delivery Systems" at "Approaches to Myocardial
Regeneration" November 14 from 5:15pm to 6:45pm in room D222 at the Dallas
Convention Center during the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.
Dr. Hajjar is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and
staff cardiologist in the Heart Failure & Cardiac Transplantation Center at
MGH. He is the director of the Cardiovascular Laboratory of Integrative
Physiology and Imaging at MGH.
Dr. Hajjar has developed gene transfer methods and techniques in the heart
to improve contractility. Dr. Hajjar's laboratory has focused on targeting
signaling pathways in cardiac myocytes to improve contractile function in
heart failure and to block signaling pathways resulting in cell death.
Dr. Hajjar explains "After many years of concentrating on the
neurohormonal system in congestive heart failure, we are finally at a point
where restoring contractility in the cardiac myocyte can be done safely and
effectively by molecular therapy."
Dr. Gwathmey is a highly respected and referenced thought leader in the
area of cardiovascular disease. She wrote and edited a landmark book in
cardiovascular disease entitled Heart Failure: Basic Research and Clinical
Aspects. Her paper on calcium signaling and heart failure is listed on the
Circulation Research website as one of the most cited papers in the past 25
years.
Gwathmey, Inc. has received $7.5 million dollars of funding to create
genomic and proteomic profiling of failing human hearts of differing
etiologies, develop methodologies, and identify novel targets for the
treatment of heart failure by molecular therapies.
Dr. Gwathmey notes "This is an exciting opportunity to continue a twenty
year history of collaboration with Dr. Hajjar. I am pleased Gwathmey, Inc.
can provide the expertise and infrastructure to move Dr. Hajjar's research
from the bench to the bedside."
Dr. Gwathmey is the founder and CEO of Gwathmey, Inc., a preclinical
contract research organization (CRO) based in Cambridge, MA. The company has
special expertise in cardiovascular disease. Dr. Gwathmey is a Professor of
Medicine and Physiology at Boston University Medical Center and is also with
the Harvard Medical School, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology,
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital.
Dr. Gwathmey will moderate the Abstract Oral Sessions on "Mechanism of
Heart Failure and Ventricular Remodeling" on Monday, November 14th from 9am to
noon in room D166 at the Dallas Convention Center.
Gwathmey, Inc. will also exhibit at the Conference from November 13
through the 15th. They will be at booth 4225 at the Convention Center.
The American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, from November 13
through the 16 in Dallas, Texas, encompass four days of invited lectures and
investigative reports. Presentations represent all fields of cardiovascular,
cerebrovascular and related disciplines.
Information regarding Dr. Hajjar can be found online at
http://www.massgeneral.org. Gwathmey, Inc., is a preclinical contract
research organization (CRO) located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Information
regarding Dr. Gwathmey and Gwathmey, Inc. can be found online at
http://www.gwathmey.com or by calling 617-491-0022 x107. Further information
about the American Heart Association and the 2005 Scientific Sessions can be
found at http://www.aha.org.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Judith K. Gwathmey
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=10004516
SOURCE Gwathmey, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.gwathmey.com
CONTACT:
Christi S. Miller of Gwathmey, Inc.,
+1-617-491-0022 ext. 105
|
