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Patients with pulmonary hypertension may be surprised to know that the disease can sometimes be accompanied by the complication known as thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Pulmonary embolisms are the root cause of CTEPH because a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs) that fails to be degraded via thromboembolysis…

SteadyMed Ltd., a pharmaceutical company developing therapies for both high value and orphan diseases with unmet parenteral delivery needs, and Cardiome Pharma Corp. have recently announced an exclusive agreement for Cardiome to market Trevyent in specific markets outside the United States if Trevyent receives approval to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in those regions. The license agreement stipulates that SteadyMed…

Researchers at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) recently published findings in the journal Pulmonary Circulation revealing the prevalence of specific collateral arteries in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The study is entitled “Prevalence of coronary artery-pulmonary artery collaterals in patients with chronic…

The Mayo Clinic in Florida has been named as a Pulmonary Hypertension Care Center by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. This designation is only awarded to centers that can provide early diagnosis, specialized care options and therapies for pulmonary hypertension, as well as follow-up capacities and clinical research projects. The Mayo Clinic now joins the 26 Pulmonary…

Uric acid is most often associated with gout in patients. However, a new study published in International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases found that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be at an increased risk for pulmonary hypertension based on high uric acid levels. “A…

Pluristem Therapeutics was recently granted an Australian patent entitled “Adherent Cells From Placenta Tissue and Use Thereof in Therapy,” and was assigned patent number 2009288781 covering Pluristem’s proprietary 3D method to grow cells from both placental or adipose tissue that can be used as treatment for several conditions including pulmonary hypertension. The term of the patent…

An international team led by researchers at the University Hospital Heidelberg in Germany recently revealed that stress-doppler-echocardiography, a procedure based on ultrasound technology, is effective in early detection of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with systemic sclerosis. The study was published in the journal Arthritis Research and…

The inflammasome, which is a multi-protein complex that activates inflammatory processes, was shown to play a role in pulmonary hypertension according to a journal article from the Institute for Experimental Medical Research in Oslo University Hospital. Removing a key component of the inflammasome in mice predisposed to pulmonary hypertension were rescued…

The Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville, Florida unit and Silver Spring, Maryland-based biotechnology company United Therapeutics Corporation have announced that they will collaborate on construction and operation of a lung restoration center to be located on Mayo’s Jacksonville campus. The project’s goal is to significantly increase the volume of lungs…

Novel research investigating the relationship between autoantibodies and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) may allow new therapies to be developed based on current treatments for autoimmune diseases. The laboratory of Steve Duncan, MD, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine recently published a study…

As the supplier of the body’s blood, the heart must also supply its own blood to keep itself nourished and oxygenated. The heart’s blood supply comes from the coronary arteries, which receive oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins. Normally, the heart receives enough oxygenated blood, but with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH)…

Targeting a mutation common to 15-40% of cases of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with a specific drug target may help cure heritable forms of PAH. A study from Dr. Nicholas W. Morrell’s laboratory at the University of Cambridge reversed the signs of PAH in mice treated with bone-morphogenetic protein…