Banner Sun Health Research Institute receives $2.6 million in funding
SUN CITY, Ariz. (Sept. 21, 2010) – Nature is inspiring translational research that could lead to a cure for heart failure, the No. 1 killer in America.
Advanced adult stem cell harvesting, growing and delivery techniques developed at the Banner Sun Health Research Institute could soon save the lives of one million Americans who die from coronary artery disease each year. Coronary artery disease claims more lives than cancers of all types, accidents and the next five leading causes of death in the U.S. combined, including lower respiratory diseases, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
“The heart can rebuild tissue, that is a fact,” said Mohamed Gaballa, MD, senior scientist at the Banner Sun Health Research Institute and lead investigator for an adult stem cell translational research project now underway in Sun City.
“Our technique using adult stem cells simply mirrors the work of nature. We’re providing the resources that allow the complex mechanisms of the body to heal itself.”
Gaballa’s research moves into high gear thanks to $2 million in funding from the Sun Health Foundation and $600,000 from Banner Health. The grants were announced today at a morning press conference held at the research facility.
The funding supports the set up and initiation of the project and includes additional personnel and equipment. Human trials using adult stem cells to build new heart tissue will be underway within a year and a half. The funding represents a longterm commitment by the Sun Health Foundation to the research project and to Banner Sun Health Research Institute.
“There is world-class research being conducted at the Banner Sun Health Research Institute and we continue to support it,” said Ronald Guziak, president and CEO of Sun Health Foundation. “The donors who support the Sun Health Foundation want to directly impact the effectiveness of health care in America. This research is an example of medical research our donors support, one that could change the face of cardiology and save millions of lives.”
“Generous support from the Sun Health Foundation plays a significant role in changing the trajectory of finding a cure for cardiovascular disease. I believe using novel adult stem cell therapy can bring a radical transformation in securing a treatment of the nation’s number one killer. I’m pleased that this great research has the opportunity to be funded,” said Bill Camp, CEO Banner Research Institute.
The mature stem cell techniques developed by Gaballa over the past several years for heart tissue generation are successful in a laboratory setting. To move research to the next logical step – human trials – requires funding not easily obtained. Without clearly patentable drugs or tools that could provide future profits, investors ignore this kind of translational research.
Funding from Sun Health Foundation and Banner Health, generated by private donors, fills the gap in funding that that has doomed many promising research projects.
“Our research is at a critical stage. What happens next will determine whether we can provide adult stem cell therapy as a cure for heart failure,” Gaballa said. “Without the support of the Sun Health Foundation and Banner Health, our research would be at a standstill. We must prove once and for all that we can help rebuild the heart after it is damaged using adult stem cells. That’s our goal.”
While the use of stem cell therapy for heart failure is not new, Gaballa utilizes advanced techniques to harvest adult stem cell directly from the heart muscle, identify and grow new stem cells, and deliver them into the heart. Over time, the stem cells grow, building new heart tissue and restoring pumping volume. The use of other types of stem cells derived from embryos and bone marrow have not proven effective.
“We draw stem cells directly from heart tissue, grow massive numbers of new stem cells and then deliver them into the heart. That use of adult stem cells from heart tissue is what makes our research unique,” Gaballa said.
A common cause of heart failure is a heart attack or myocardial infarction. Blood flow to the heart is blocked by a blood clot or narrowing of the arteries and portions of the heart muscle die. Treatments for heart failure evolved from bloodletting using leaches to bypass heart surgery, drug therapies and organ transplantation.
More than 20 years ago, a startling fact from a television documentary spurred Gaballa’s passion for medical research. The Egyptian-born engineer, who earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, was stunned to discover that the disease killing more Americans than any other – coronary heart disease - could not be cured. Even today, less invasive drug treatments only address the symptoms of heart failure, Gaballa said. Transplant patients are required to take anti-rejection drugs that reduce their immune systems, making common viruses deadly.
Gaballa went on to earn a doctorate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona. He continued his medical research focused on cardiology as a research associate and then director of several laboratories in Tucson.
|“Imagine a standard treatment for heart failure that is minimally invasive, require fewer drugs and a shorter hospital stay compared to traditional therapies, and be very effective,” Gaballa said. “We are mere years away from such a therapy that will allow those with heart failure to lead more productive lives and continue to contribute to society.”
About Banner Sun Health Research Institute
For 23 years, Sun Health Research Institute, part of nonprofit Banner Health, has been a leader nationally and internationally in the effort to find answers to disorders of aging including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and arthritis. The institute, together with its Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium partners, has been designated by the National Institutes of Health as one of just 29 Alzheimer’s Disease Centers in the nation. The institute’s Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research takes laboratory discoveries to clinical trials that foster hope for new treatments. Banner Health is Arizona’s leading health care provider and second largest private employer. For more information, visit www.shri.org and www.bannerhealth.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Browne
Ph: (623) 875-6536
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