Research & Innovation Center

Physician-Scientists Advance Cardiovascular Care Through Leading-Edge Clinical Research and Innovation

University Hospitals Case Medical Center’s physician-scientists, who also serve as faculty at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, are world leaders in heart and vascular medicine. Their ongoing clinical research programs are pushing the boundaries of medical progress. A strong emphasis on translational, or “bench-to- bedside,” research means that new and innovative treatments and technologies transfer more rapidly from the research laboratory to life-enhancing patient care.

Within University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute at UH Case Medical Center, clinicians working with patients and scientists focused on research work together as part of the same team. With this model, the institute advances care through discovery.

Programs and Initiatives

UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute’s Research & Innovation Center was established in 2006 in affiliation with the Case Cardiovascular Research Institute to foster discoveries in cardiovascular disease, therapies and technologies. Building upon a legacy of innovation that began nearly 150 years ago at UH Case Medical Center, a number of programs and initiatives are helping forge medicine’s future, including the following:

• 70 faculty, fellows and staff conducting cardiovascular research with committed federally funded research exceeding $21 million
• A nationally recognized adult, nonembryonic stem cell research center and leader of the Ohio Cell-Based Therapy Consortium
• One of the most comprehensive cardiovascular imaging programs in the nation with state-of-the-art nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), multislice computed tomography (MSCT), vascular and cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories, including the novel Stereotaxis, NOGA and robotic three-dimensional navigation systems
• World’s premier program in optical coherence tomography (OCT), a novel vascular imaging technology that provides micron-scale images of the coronary arteries
• EDUCATE: one of the largest calcium score preventive and therapeutic programs in the nation
• The first multidisciplinary Immuno-Cardiovascular Center for Cellular Diagnosis dedicated to discovery of novel immunological and cellular mechanisms of heart and vascular diseases
• 70 Human Clinical Trials (over 1,300 total enrolled patients) investigating novel therapies for heart failure, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, coronary and peripheral artery disease
• One of 45 clinical sites nationally, and the only site in Northeast Ohio performing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for treatment of advanced aortic disease, with both the experimental Medtronic’s CoreValve and the FDA-approved Edward’s Sapien technologies
• Part of an elite group of institutions participating in the renal denervation SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial for patients with resistant hypertension
• Leading worldwide clinical investigations of CardioKinetix’s first-of-its-kind catheter-based Parachute™ Ventricular Partitioning Device, a percutaneous ventricular restoration (PVR) therapy technology for patients with ischemic heart failure
• International programs to eradicate rheumatic heart disease in underdeveloped countries
• International network of leading academic medical centers in Europe, Asia, Japan, Africa and South America dedicated to expanding the frontiers of new technologies and therapies

These and other UH Case Medical Center advances are poised to benefit the lives of patients affected by heart and vascular diseases for generations to come.

Clinical Research Studies

Some of the clinical research studies in progress within our center include:

• Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR): Traditional treatments for aortic valve stenosis include open surgical aortic valve replacement or palliative balloon valvuloplasty. But UH Case Medical Center has established the TAVR Multidisciplinary Program, the only Medtronic CoreValve® program in northeast Ohio. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that uses the expandable Medtronic CoreValve prosthesis, delivered through the femoral or subclavian arteries and allowed to expand into the location of the stenotic aortic valve. TAVR is used at UH Case Medical Center, which is a high-volume center with broad patient access (moderate, high and extreme risk; end-stage renal disease; the widest coverage of anatomic sizes).
• Renal denervation for resistant hypertension: Sympathetic renal denervation appears poised to be the treatment of choice for patients with resistant hypertension. The Medtronic SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial is the first multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial of the technique. The SYMPLICITY HTN-3 study assesses whether renal denervation in addition to medical therapy with three or more anti-hypertensives is superior in controlling resistant hypertension compared with medical therapy alone. Results from the trial will help clarify long-term effects of renal denervation.
• Stem cells for CAD and PAD: A number of protocols for the use of stem cell transplantation are under way at UH Case Medical Center for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) who are at risk for amputation when vessel stenting or bypass is found to be inappropriate or ineffective. Two new trials, the Revive CLI and the Biomet CLI, involve the use of stem cells to help the body generate blood vessels in the legs. Results from this trial may provide a promising alternative for patients with no other options and who are facing amputation. These and other clinical studies for CAD and PAD patients allow the treatment of atherosclerosis and risk factors that can lead to heart attack, stroke and amputation.
• Percutaneous LV remodeling therapies for heart failure: UH Case Medical Center recently presented two-year results from a unique trial involving Cardio-Kinetix’s Parachute™ Ventricular Partitioning Device, a percutaneous ventricular restoration therapy technology for patients with ischemic heart failure. Clinical data from the two first-in-human studies of the Parachute system showed meaningful and sustained low clinical events two years following treatment with the device. The next phase of the trial will be to enroll close to 500 patients in both the U.S. and Europe.
• Left atrial appendage closure: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a leading cause of stroke worldwide. Clots are commonly formed in the left atrial appendage (LAA) and when a clot breaks loose in the bloodstream, it can migrate to the brain leading to stroke. Oral anticoagulants are used to prevent clots causing stroke but they may lead to bleeding complications and are often contraindicated in patients with a history of bleeding and/or mobility concerns. UH Case Medical Center has been chosen as one of the first sites in the U.S. to participate in a clinical trial comparing the safety and effectiveness of an investigational LAA occlusion device compared to warfarin or dabigatran to prevent thromboembolism in patients with nonvalvular AF.

Among the nation’s leading academic medical centers, University Hospitals Case Medical Center is the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, a nationally recognized leader in medical research and education.

All National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for basic and clinical research is awarded to the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University.