However, researchers at Penn State's College of Medicine have developed a procedure that virtually eliminates that new tissue growth. The team found that coating the balloon angioplasty catheters with ceramide reduces the risk of subsequent blockages by greater than 90 percent in animal studies. The Penn State team of scientists, led by principal investigator Mark Kester, Ph.D. associate professor of pharmacology, has worked for the past five years to solve this significant medical challenge. Our research has revealed that applying an analogue of a naturally occurring membrane component called ceramide to the balloon surface of angioplasty catheters inhibits the growth of those smooth muscle cells so that blockages don't develop. Through both cell culture system and animal trials, the ceramide was found to be a safe and effective therapy, preventing vascular smooth muscle cell growth and resultant arterial obstruction.
Additional testing is planned with clinical trials anticipated in two years.
Kester has filed a provisional patent for his work. While the majority of patients who would benefit the most from this breakthrough are those who receive coronary angioplasty or stents, Kester believes additional uses will follow. The access ports often become clogged or restricted because of restenosis. We think the ceramide treatment could help those patients as well. The research was sponsored by the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania and by the National Institutes of Health.