Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN)
Encyclopedia
Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN) is a network of physician
s, scientist
s, and support staff dedicated to studying stem cell therapy for treating heart disease
. The CCTRN is funded by the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) and includes expert researchers with experience in cardiovascular care at five stem cell centers in the United States
. The goals of the Network are to complete research studies that will potentially lead to more effective treatments for patients with cardiovascular disease
, and to share knowledge quickly with the healthcare community.
advances for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, through the conduct and dissemination of collaborative research leading to evidence-based treatment options and improved outcome for patients with heart disease.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) is one of 27 institutes/centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart
, blood vessel
, lung
, and blood diseases; and sleep disorder
s. The NHLBI plans and directs research in the development and evaluation of interventions and devices related to prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of patients suffering from such diseases and disorders.
The Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials
Since 1971, the Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials (http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/ccct) at The University of Texas School of Public Health
has played a leading role in cardiovascular disease and vision research by serving as a coordinating center for 16 nationwide multicenter clinical trial
s. The CCCT's primary function is to provide and coordinate all operations, procedures, and activities of a large-scale randomized controlled clinical trial. The CCCT serves as the Data Coordinating Center for the CCTRN.
The Clinical Sites
The CCTRN includes five stem cell centers in the United States with experience and expertise in clinical trials studying treatments for heart disease. These sites include:
s safely taken from an individual’s bone marrow
can be transplanted back into the injured heart muscle of the individual and improve the heart’s ability to pump following a heart attack. These studies also hope to determine the best time for transplant of the cells following a heart attack.
In March 2009, the CCTRN opened enrollment in a heart failure study (FOCUS). The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of injecting bone marrow stem cells into heart muscle in an attempt to promote blood vessel growth that will improve the blood supply in hearts that are failing. This study is interested in recruiting patients who have heart failure, but will no longer benefit from other forms of standard treatment such as surgery or use of standard coronary artery repair procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent
placement.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s, scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s, and support staff dedicated to studying stem cell therapy for treating heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
. The CCTRN is funded by the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
(NIH) and includes expert researchers with experience in cardiovascular care at five stem cell centers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The goals of the Network are to complete research studies that will potentially lead to more effective treatments for patients with cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
, and to share knowledge quickly with the healthcare community.
Mission statement
The mission of the CCTRN is to achieve public healthPublic health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
advances for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, through the conduct and dissemination of collaborative research leading to evidence-based treatment options and improved outcome for patients with heart disease.
Components of the Network
The SponsorThe National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is a division of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland...
(NHLBI) is one of 27 institutes/centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
, blood vessel
Blood vessel
The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...
, lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
, and blood diseases; and sleep disorder
Sleep disorder
A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder of the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental and emotional functioning...
s. The NHLBI plans and directs research in the development and evaluation of interventions and devices related to prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of patients suffering from such diseases and disorders.
The Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials
Since 1971, the Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials (http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/ccct) at The University of Texas School of Public Health
University of Texas School of Public Health
The University of Texas School of Public Health is one of eight component institutions of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston ....
has played a leading role in cardiovascular disease and vision research by serving as a coordinating center for 16 nationwide multicenter clinical trial
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
s. The CCCT's primary function is to provide and coordinate all operations, procedures, and activities of a large-scale randomized controlled clinical trial. The CCCT serves as the Data Coordinating Center for the CCTRN.
The Clinical Sites
The CCTRN includes five stem cell centers in the United States with experience and expertise in clinical trials studying treatments for heart disease. These sites include:
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of MedicineCleveland Clinic Lerner College of MedicineThe Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine was established in 2002 with a $100 million gift from Norma and Al Lerner and through a collaboration between Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University. The first class of students was enrolled in 2004.The Lerner College offers a five-year...
(http://portals.clevelandclinic.org/Default.aspx?alias=portals.clevelandclinic.org/cclcm) - Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (http://www.mplsheart.org/)
- Texas Heart Institute Stem Cell Center (http://www.texasheart.org/Research/StemCellCenter/index.cfm)
- University of Florida Department of Medicine (http://cctrn.medicine.ufl.edu)
- Vanderbilt Heart Institute (http://www.vanderbilthealth.com/heart/)
Ongoing Work
In July 2008, the CCTRN opened enrollment in two studies in patients who have recently suffered heart attacks (TIME and LateTIME). The purpose of these studies is to determine if stem cellStem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
s safely taken from an individual’s bone marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
can be transplanted back into the injured heart muscle of the individual and improve the heart’s ability to pump following a heart attack. These studies also hope to determine the best time for transplant of the cells following a heart attack.
In March 2009, the CCTRN opened enrollment in a heart failure study (FOCUS). The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of injecting bone marrow stem cells into heart muscle in an attempt to promote blood vessel growth that will improve the blood supply in hearts that are failing. This study is interested in recruiting patients who have heart failure, but will no longer benefit from other forms of standard treatment such as surgery or use of standard coronary artery repair procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent
Stent
In the technical vocabulary of medicine, a stent is an artificial 'tube' inserted into a natural passage/conduit in the body to prevent, or counteract, a disease-induced, localized flow constriction. The term may also refer to a tube used to temporarily hold such a natural conduit open to allow...
placement.