Interventional Cardiology and Angiology

• The uncontrolled proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and the resulting formation of a neointima (called restenosis) after catheter-based therapy including the application of vascular endoprostheses (stents) is currently one of the biggest unsolved problems in interventional cardiology and angiology. This proliferation is mainly due to the SMCs' capability of switching between contractile (differentiated) and synthetic (dedifferentiated) state where in the latter the cells proliferate and form the neointima.
• To address this problem and to develop new therapeutic options, we concentrate on three issues, i) mechanisms controlling the proliferation and differentiation of VSMCs (collaboration with H. Leonhardt, MDC), ii) structural and functional analysis of primary atherosclerotic tissue compared to neointimal tissue (restenosis material), and iii) evaluation of antiproliferative compounds in tissue culture and local administration via a coated endoprosthesis ("coated stent") in animal models, followed by clinical trials.