MUSC Researchers Awarded $1.46M to Continue Study of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms

Contact: Heather Woolwine
843-792-7669
woolwinh@musc.edu
 
Aug. 3, 2016

CHARLESTON, SC – Medical University of South Carolina researchers received a $1.46 million grant renewal to study how thoracic aortic aneurysms develop over time and how surgeons might be able to predict and stop development before the aorta ruptures, thereby saving the lives of patients with this disease. Initially funded by the National Institutes of Health in 2010, the study renewal will continue the work of principal investigator John Ikonomidis, M.D., Ph.D., Horace G. Smithy professor and MUSC Cardiothoracic Surgery chief.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is the bulging of the wall of the aorta, the largest artery in the body that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the tissues and organs, weakening the vessel and enhancing the risk for rupture and subsequent death.

Current treatment options consist of surgical reconstruction or a minimally invasive intravascular procedure where an artificial tube is inserted through a large vessel in the leg, advanced into the aorta, and opened to eliminate the damaged portion of the aorta from the inside out. However, both options have significant limitations that do not address the underlying pathways that drive this devastating disease. According to Ikonomidis, better knowledge of the cellular events that lead to aneurysm formation may reveal novel treatment options for this condition, including region- specific gene therapy and targeted pharmacologic treatments.

“In the initial study, we showed how molecules within the wall of the aorta can destroy the aortic wall, causing the aneurysm,” he said. “Because there is no cure for this disease, the aim of the renewal of this NIH-funded study is to investigate these findings and focus on translating the discoveries into potential therapeutics.”

According to a 2012 Journal of Cardiac Surgery study co-authored by Ikonomidis, data have shown that the incidence of aneurysm development doubled between 1982 and 2002. When considering the aging Baby Boomer generation and medical advances increasing longevity, it is likely the incidence of TAA will continue to increase through the year 2050.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the oldest medical school in the South, as well as the state’s only integrated, academic health sciences center with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and more than 850 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The state’s leader in obtaining biomedical research funds, in fiscal year 2019, MUSC set a new high, bringing in more than $284 million. Find out more about our academic programs.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 14 hospitals with approximately 2,500 beds and five additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and connectivity to patients’ homes, and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2021, for the seventh consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. Learn more about clinical patient services.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $4.4 billion. The nearly 25,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care.