Heart disease: doctors hope to eliminate U.S.' No. 1 killer

By Dick Pelletier

      

    Researchers at London Royal Free Hospital will launch clinical trials this year on a revolutionary rejection-free artificial artery that can permanently replace clogged vascular tissues.

    Scientists George Hamilton and Alexander Seifalian created a new artificial artery using nanotechnology techniques to embed the material with special molecules that help circulation and also encourage stem cells to grow on its walls.

    Their creation pulses in sync with the heart allowing the artificial artery to bond with the body and promote long term health; and unlike Mother Nature's creations, it's highly resistant to clotting. The researchers believe their new polymer arteries could be saving lives in clinics later this decade.

    Heart disease, America's No. 1 killer claims a life every 37 seconds. Former President Bill Clinton recently suffered chest pains that required doctors at New York-Presbyterian Hospital to implant two stents in a clogged coronary artery.

    In a recent CNN interview, heart specialist Dr. Spencer King said that this stent procedure may not be the end of Clinton's heart woes. "The problem is that the vein graft is developing disease, and sometimes it goes on and develops more," he said. "There's a substantial chance over the next four or five years that it could close up again."

    Clinton, along with 80 million other adults in the U.S. suffering from heart disease – including this writer – will gain enormous benefits and peace of mind from an artificial artery that can remain blockage-free.

    Hot on the heels of the Hamilton and Seifalian research is HHMI investigator Shahin Rafi at Weill Cornell Medical College whose team is developing blood vessel-forming stem cells grown in biological scaffolds that also mimic the body's environment. Rafi hopes to inject his vascular endothelial cells into the bodies of patients with late-stage heart failure.

    It could take three-to-four years to get there, he says, but with the current study, "we've taken a major step." The impact could extend beyond heart disease, as well. Patients with conditions such as stroke, clogged vessels in the lower limbs, or diabetes, could also benefit from blockage-free arteries. Engineering new organs requires blood vessels too, so this science offers huge potential.

    Artificial arteries and stem cells will play critical rolls in transforming U.S. healthcare from reactive to proactive in the years ahead, but the 'holy grail' of future medicine is nanorobots. Mostly in the dream stage today, by mid-2020s, these clever machines could be cruising through our bodies proactively keeping us in perfect health 24/7.

    Nanotechnologist Robert Freitas describes how nanobots work: in a typical treatment to stop infection, patients swallow a pill with 100 billion 'bots inside that locate bacteria, viruses, or fungi and render them harmless. In just 30 minutes, the patient becomes infection-free.

    Anti-aging scientists believe the greatest benefit for nanorobots will be removing accumulated cellular damage that causes aging. This will enable older people to recapture their youthful health, strength, and beauty. This may sound like science fiction, but it's not; it's tomorrow's nano-science.

    Nanobots are not available today though, so the best way to survive heart disease, doctors say, is never to develop it in the first place. Eat right, exercise, stay healthy. Go "magical future."

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.