Antibody-coated stent developed by Canadian researcher implanted in first human patient

Toronto, ON May 21, 2003 A medical discovery that has the potential to improve the lives of people suffering from coronary artery disease was implanted today in the first human patient.

The antibody-coated stent, developed by Dr Michael Kutryk, a cardiologist and clinician scientist with St Michael’s Hospital and assistant professor, University of Toronto, was implanted into the first human patient at Thoraxcenter, University Hospital Rotterdam in Holland. The procedure was transmitted via a live feed to the EuroPCR Conference in Paris, France – a conference of over 10,000 interventional cardiologists.

Traditional stents — the wire-mesh tubes used for years in interventional cardiology to clear blocked arteries — have been known to cause restenosis (re-narrowing of the artery in a treated area) and can lead to blood clots. Dr Kutryk’s invention of the antibody-coated stent reduces restenosis and prevents blood clots from occurring.

“This is a very exciting time to be working in the field of interventional cardiology,” says Dr Kutryk. “When animal trials showed that antibody-coated stents were successful in promoting healing and preventing restenosis, we knew this could potentially impact a large number of patients suffering from coronary artery disease.”

“If the implantation of the coated stent works in humans like it has in animals, it will be one of the biggest advances in cardiology we have seen to date,” says Dr Patrick Serruys, cardiologist, University Hospital Rotterdam. “We have been calling Dr Kutryk’s research a glimpse into the future. Today, that future is here.”

When placed into a blocked area of an artery, the antibody-coated stent captures endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) circulating throughout the blood. Endothelial cells are cells which line blood vessels, allowing blood to flow smoothly. The EPCs adhere to the hard surface of the stent forming a smooth layer that not only promotes healing but prevents restenosis and blood clots.

“We are expecting to perform the first operation of a stent on a North American patient at St Michael’s Hospital sometime in early June,” says Kutryk. “Once we determine the effectiveness of using the antibody-coated stents, we will be examining other ways that this discovery can be used to improve clinical outcomes for patients suffering from cardiovascular disease. The implications are enormous.”

In addition to improving outcomes for patients requiring stents, there are also implications for patients requiring cardiovascular bypass surgery. For example, a prosthetic vascular conduit coated with anti-EPC antibodies would eliminate the need to use arteries from patients’ legs or arms for bypass surgery grafts. This would reduce surgery and anesthesia times which in turn will reduce coronary surgery deaths.