Racing Against Time: A New Approach to Battling Heart Attack
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
4:00 – 5:00 PM EDT | WEBINAR
SPEAKER
Barry S. Coller, M.D.
Physician in Chief, The Rockefeller University Hospital
David Rockefeller Professor
Allen and Frances Adler Laboratory of Blood and Vascular Biology
HOST
Richard P. Lifton, M.D., Ph.D.
President and Carson Family Professor
Laboratory of Human Genetics and Genomics
The odds of surviving a heart attack have improved dramatically, thanks to a range of interventions available in hospitals equipped for coronary care. The weak link in the treatment chain is time: early treatment is crucial in preventing irreversible damage to the heart, but it is difficult to administer before patients reach the hospital. Barry S. Coller, M.D. is working to prevent patient deaths by treating them during the critical pre-hospital period. He has created a small molecule, RUC-4 (generic name zalunfiban), that prevents blood platelets from sticking together. Platelets sticking together initiates the blood clots that cause heart attacks. Crucially, RUC-4 is designed to be administered in the ambulance or even self-administered via a simple injection device. Dr. Coller will discuss this potential drug’s development and the promising results from early clinical trials.