The Triangle

Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Adam Rothstein Dr. Howard Eisen, chief of cardiology at Drexel College of Medicine and Hahnemann University Hospital, will oversee the Prochymal clinical trial conducted at the hospital.

Drexel University's College of Medicine and Hahnemann Hospital are recruiting for a phase two clinical trial of Prochymal, a stem cell therapy developed by Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. The therapy is designed to treat patients with recent heart attacks to minimize scar formation and promote cardiac function by infusing patients with stem cells capable of differentiating into heart muscle cells.

Drexel is the only medical center in the Philadelphia area to participate in this clinical trial; the closest alternatives are the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ and Penn State University's medical center in Hershey, Pa. According to the clinical trials database, 41 medical centers around the nation will screen approximately 220 participants before the study ends in March 2012.

According to Howard Eisen, chief of the Division of Cardiology at Drexel University College of Medicine and Hahnemann University Hospital and principal investigator for the Drexel study site, Drexel aims to recruit eight participants in the phase two trial. Eisen commented that Drexel's involvement in the trial while other area hospitals are not participating shows that Drexel is on the cutting edge of medical technology.

"Drexel has a long history of leading medical technology, especially in cardiology," Eisen said. "We were one of the first to use heart-lung machines, cardiac assist devices, cardiac stents, and other medical drugs. Activity in this trial shows that this institution is at the forefront of research in cardiology." While the therapy itself is created and distributed by Osiris, Drexel College of Medicine faculty and Drexel's nurses will be administering the therapy to participants and studying the effect of the therapy through magnetic resonance over a set period of time.

According to Eisen, the hospital has enrolled only one participant to date and therefore opportunities for students to participate in the research are minimal at the moment. However, Eisen said students may be able to play a bigger role as the study progresses.

Continued...

Page 1 of 3 next >

Article Tools