News Advisory
Scientific Meeting on Pulmonary Hypertension December 7-8 -
Leading Scientists to Discuss Associated Diseases and Novel Therapies
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is convening a scientific
conference to explore the latest evidence regarding pulmonary hypertension.
"Evolution of Pulmonary Hypertension: Emerging Diseases
and Novel Therapeutics Meeting" will be held December 7 and
8, 2006, at the NIH Natcher Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
The conference is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute (NHLBI), the NIH Office of Rare Diseases, and the Clinical
Center Critical Care Medicine Department.
Pulmonary hypertension, or continuous high blood pressure in the
blood vessels of the lungs, is a disabling and often fatal disease,
which affects people of all ages – from newborns to seniors.
Pulmonary hypertension contributes to an estimated 15,000 deaths
in the United States annually, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. The goal of the meeting is to foster research
collaboration to improve the detection and treatment of pulmonary
hypertension.
The meeting will include presentations from 30 scientists, academic
researchers, physicians, and patient advocates, from around the
world. Scientific sessions will address the pathology of pulmonary
hypertension, emerging diseases found to contribute to the development
of the disease, current and novel therapies, research opportunities,
and future strategies for patient management. Among the NIH intramural
scientists presenting at the conference are NHLBI scientists Mark
T. Gladwin, M.D., Roberto F. P. Machado, M.D., Gregory Kato, M.D.,
and Manfred Boehm, M.D, and Henry Masur, M.D., of the Clinical Center’s
Critical Care Medicine Department.
Other speakers include Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Rep. Kevin Brady
(R-TX), founders of the Congressional Pulmonary Hypertension Caucus.
Both congressmen have personally witnessed the debilitating effects
of pulmonary hypertension through loved ones and are long-time supporters
and advocates of pulmonary hypertension research.
"Twenty years ago, there were no effective treatments for
patients with pulmonary hypertension, whose life expectancy was
only a couple of years following diagnosis," notes NHLBI Director
Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. "Scientific advances have begun to
transform our understanding of this debilitating disease, moving
pulmonary hypertension from the ranks of diseases that once were
considered to be untreatable to the growing list of conditions for
which medical science offers hope of a better quality of life and
more years to enjoy it."
By improving understanding of the basic cellular and molecular
mechanisms involved in the development and progression of pulmonary
hypertension, scientists have developed therapies that have been
shown to help some patients by improving their quality of life and
allowing them to live longer. However, patients' responses to therapies
vary, so researchers are continuing to explore treatments that address
several biological pathways. Recent research has focused on cellular
and molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in pulmonary vascular
remodeling. One area of promise is the use of gene therapy to inhibit
and possibly reverse the effects of pulmonary hypertension.
Basic and clinical research studies have also led to increased
knowledge of the causes of pulmonary hypertension, enabling scientists
to better identify patients at risk. For example, NHLBI-supported
researchers have identified a genetic defect linked to pulmonary
hypertension. In addition, the scope of conditions associated with
pulmonary hypertension, such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease), obstructive sleep apnea, and sickle cell disease, has
widened. Nonetheless, because the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension,
such as shortness of breath and unexplained fatigue, are general
and often resemble signs of other conditions, many patients remain
undiagnosed or are diagnosed only after right heart failure has
developed. Improving methods to identify patients at risk and to
diagnose patients could lead to earlier and more effective treatment.
Selected presentations:
- Opening Remarks by Elizabeth Nabel, M.D, NHLBI director; Rep.
Tom Lantos (D-CA); and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX): Thursday, December
7, 8:00 a.m.
- Genetics of Pulmonary Hypertension: Role in Pathogenesis and
Future Directions of Therapy: Thursday, December 7, 11:35 a.m.
- Emerging Diseases Associated with Pulmonary Hypertension: Thursday,
December 7, 1:00 p.m.
- Panel presentations and discussion with leading researchers
and clinicians on conditions such as HIV, sickle cell disease,
chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, respiratory disorders
including COPD, liver disease, and viral infection and insulin
resistance.
- Future Therapies: Friday, December 8, 8:05 a.m.
Panel presentations and discussion with leading researchers and
clinicians on novel therapies such as PDGF (platelet-derived growth
factor) inhibitors – antibodies that target cell division,
CO gas, nitrite, stem cell therapies, statins, serotonin, and
neuropeptides.
Conference agenda, speaker biographies and abstracts, and other
details are available at www.strategicresults.com/ph. To arrange
interviews with speakers and/or to register in advance, contact
the NHLBI Communications Office at (301) 496-4236 or at nhlbi_news@nhlbi.niih.gov.
Reporters can also register onsite at the conference.
Resources:
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports
research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders.
The Institute also administers national health education campaigns
on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other
topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online
at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers
and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates
the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.
For more information about NIH and its programs, visit
www.nih.gov.
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