LAS VEGAS, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CardioVascular BioTherapeutics, Inc. has appointed Nabil Dib, M.D., M.Sc., F.A.C.C., as the Principal Investigator for its Phase II clinical trial in patients with severe coronary heart disease.
Dr. Dib is currently the Director of Cardiovascular Research at Catholic Healthcare West’s Chandler Regional Medical Center and Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Arizona, as well as the Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Cardiovascular Cell Therapy at the University of California, San Diego. He is also President of the International Society for Cardiovascular Translational Research, La Jolla, Calif., and an international expert on the treatment of heart failure and coronary artery disease. Dr. Dib has extensive experience directing clinical trials, particularly in the arena of examining agents which stimulate the growth of new blood vessels in a damaged heart.
In previous clinical studies, Dr. Dib has pioneered the use of the NOGA(R) XP mapping system and the MyoStar(TM) injection catheter. These two devices will be used in CVBT’s Phase II heart trial, in which the potent angiogenic protein human Fibroblast Growth Factor -1 (FGF-1) will be injected into patients’ hearts. Dr. Dib serves as the principal trainer for all interventional cardiologists who wish to receive training on the NOGA XP system or MyoStar injection catheter, and will work closely with the other clinical investigators in CVBT’s Phase II heart trial to ensure the safe and accurate injection of FGF-1 into the heart.
“We are extremely excited to welcome a cardiologist and clinical researcher of Dr. Dib’s caliber to lead our Phase II heart study,” said Thomas J. Stegmann, M.D., co-founder and co-president of CVBT. “His expertise with the NOGA XP and MyoStar devices, and his strong relationships with leading interventional cardiologists throughout the world will be invaluable to our clinical effort to establish FGF-1 as the treatment of choice for severe angina and coronary heart disease.”
About CardioVascular BioTherapeutics
CVBT is a biopharmaceutical company developing human FGF-1 for cardiovascular diseases characterized by inadequate blood flow to a tissue or organ. In addition to the Phase II trial it is conducting in patients with severe coronary heart disease, the company has two FDA-authorized clinical trials underway in the areas of impaired wound healing seen in diabetes and in patients suffering from peripheral artery disease of the legs. An additional trial is also being conducted in patients with chronic back pain who may have perfusion defects to their spine.
About Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) is the eighth largest hospital system in the nation and one of the largest not-for-profit hospital providers in the West. Founded in 1986, the CHW network of more than 8,500 physicians and approximately 50,000 employees serve a population spanning 22 million people at 43 hospitals across California, Arizona, and Nevada. CHW is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable healthcare services with special attention to the poor and underserved. In fiscal year 2007, CHW provided $922 million in charity care, community benefits, and unreimbursed patient care. CHW facilities in Arizona include Chandler Regional Medical Center, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and Barrow Neurological Institute, CHW Urgent Cares in Ahwatukee, Gilbert and Queen Creek, Sun Lakes Laboratory, Warner Outpatient Surgery and the Arizona Orthopedic Surgical Hospital. For more information, please visit our Website at http://www.chwHEALTH.org.
About Chandler Regional Medical Center
Chandler Regional Medical Center is a 225-bed, acute-care, non-for-profit provider of emergency care, maternal child services, cardiovascular services, wound healing, cancer treatment, diabetes treatment, and diagnostic services. It is located at 475 S. Dobson Road (corner of Dobson Road and Frye Road) in Chandler. For more information, please visit http://www.chandlerregional.org or call (480) 728-3000. Chandler Regional Medical Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). For employment opportunities please contact the Human Resources Department at (480) 728-3424. For information on physician referrals or community classes and support groups, please contact the ResourceLink toll-free at 1.877.728.5414 or resourcelink@chw.edu.
About Mercy Gilbert Medical Center
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is located at the intersection of Val Vista Drive and Loop 202 (south of Pecos Road and east of Val Vista Drive). Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is a four-story, full-service acute-care facility with 182 beds. For more information, please visit http://www.mercygilbert.org or call (480) 728-8000. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). For employment opportunities please contact the Human Resources Department at (480) 728-8396. For information on physician referrals or community classes and support groups, please contact the ResourceLink toll-free at 1.877.728.5414 or resourcelink@chw.edu.
CardioVascular BioTherapeutics, Inc.
Allison Lipson, (702) 839-7200
alipson@cvbt.com
CONTACT: Allison Lipson of CardioVascular BioTherapeutics, Inc.,
+1-702-839-7200, alipson@cvbt.com
Web site: http://www.cvbt.com/
http://www.chwHEALTH.org/
http://www.chandlerregional.org/
http://www.mercygilbert.org/
