Important Milestones in Diagnosis and Treatment of Vulnerable Plaque to be Featured at TCT 2008 in Washington, DC
DOYLESTOWN, Pa., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- TCT 2008 attendees will be among the first to hear a report on initial clinical experiences with the vProtect(TM) Luminal Shield in patients with non-flow-limiting "vulnerable" plaques. Professor Patrick Serruys, Director of Clinical Research and chief of interventional cardiology at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will present early findings and describe the rationale and design of the SECRITT I trial, a randomized pilot study of the device in patients with vulnerable plaque. According to Prof. Serruys, "Vulnerable plaques can rupture suddenly, and with catastrophic results. If the vProtect(TM) Luminal Shield can gently stabilize these plaques, as it is designed to do, it will be a break-through, a paradigm shift in interventional cardiology." Prof. Serruys's presentation, "Progress with a Vulnerable Plaque Shield and a 'Secret' Trial," is scheduled for 4:18 pm, Monday October 13, in room 152A of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC.
Its unique self-expanding and biocompatible design makes the vProtect(TM) Luminal Shield a potentially attractive alternative to traditional stents in established indications. Juan Granada, MD, will present details on the innovative design of the vProtect(TM) Luminal Shield and an update on the ongoing first-in-human study of the Shield at 11:52 am on Monday October 13, in room 145AB of the Washington Convention Center.
Prescient Medical is also spearheading an effort to better identify and characterize vulnerable plaques, a project that strongly complements the vProtect(TM) Luminal Shield development program. Guillermo Tearney, MD, PhD, of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, will present new results related to the use of the vPredict(TM) Optical Catheter System for characterizing vulnerable plaques at TCT 2008. The vPredict(TM) platform is based on Raman spectroscopy, a highly sensitive technique that is used in scores of critical non-clinical applications. "The vPredict(TM) Optical Catheter System can detect the spectroscopic 'fingerprints' of compounds in the plaque. Our task is to correlate the spectra we obtain to histology, so that we can classify a plaque, and ultimately assess its risk of rupture in vivo, based on the results of the Optiography(TM) Scan," explained Dr. Tearney. The presentation, titled "The Promise and Reality of Raman Spectroscopy for Atherosclerosis Imaging: Advantages and Limitations," will be held at 1:44 pm, Monday October 13, in room 152A of the Washington Convention Center.
Recent preclinical results with the vPredict(TM) Optical Catheter System will be available through the duration of TCT 2008 via e-poster kiosks. The e-poster presentation, "Discrimination Between Cholesterol and Cholesterol Esters in Coronary Artery Tissue with Raman Spectroscopy," was authored by Jon Nazemi, MS, and James F. Brennan III, PhD.
For more information about Prescient Medical and its products, contact Patricia Scheller, CEO, at 215-933-1150.
About Prescient Medical, Inc.
Prescient Medical, Inc. is a privately held medical device company dedicated to reducing deaths from heart attacks and cardiovascular disease, the leading causes of death in much of the world. For more information, please visit our website at www.prescientmedical.com or call +1-866-376-0500.
CONTACT: William Chelak, +1-732-541-2971
Web site: http://www.prescientmedical.com//
