ANNUAL REPORT OF RESEARCH ACTIVITYCardiovascular Division & Lillehei Heart Institute | Fiscal Year 2011

“What mankind can dream, research and technology can achieve.”C. Walton Lillehei, Professor, University of Minnesota, 1951-1967

Research in the Cardiovascular Division and the Lillehei Heart Institute at the University of Minnesota continues on a path of vigorousgrowth. New awards totaled $12.5 million for fiscal year 2011, totaling $31.7 million over the past 3 years. In that time, the dailydedication and work of our physician-scientists to translate their research discoveries into new clinical treatments have advanced theknowledge of cardiovascular disease, discovered new clinical treatments, and contributed to the material, social, and cultural enrichmentof society.

Funding agencies know they can count on the quality of cardiovascular research at the University of Minnesota. This past year, theCardiovascular Program received 3 multimillion-dollar grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in addition to the 35 otherawards received from agencies such as the American Heart Association (AHA), Medtronic, and the Minneapolis Medical ResearchFoundation (MMRF).

In the following pages you will read about two newly funded research projects including a revolutionary statewide clinical projectfocusing on state-of-the art post-resuscitation care, with the goal to weave together treatments for heart attacks and cardiac arrest; aswell as a project investigating the use of a three-pronged attack of cardiac progenitor cells, fibrin patch, and a large bore high fieldmagnet to repair the human heart.

Cardiovascular research at the University of Minnesota is a sound economic investment. Our research helps to fuel the Minnesota economyin the form of new technologies, job creation and retention, taxes, and other direct and indirect economic impact.

Finally, the future of cardiovascular research at the University of Minnesota is very bright. The University has made significant investmentsin infrastructure, faculty support and recruitment, and core research facilities that will further accelerate our research discoveries.

Corey Graves, CRAResearch ManagerCardiovascular Division & Lillehei Heart Institute

RESEARCH AWARDS

Over the past three years, the U of M’s Cardiovascular Program has been awarded nearly $31.7 million in new research awards.

In millions of dollars

3.4

15.8

12.5

$0

$2

$4

$6

$8

$10

$12

$14

$16

$18

2009 2010 2011

CLINICAL VS. BENCH RESEARCH

In FY 2011, the Cardiovascular Program’s portfolio of new research awards included $9.3 million in traditional bench research and $3.2 million in clinical trials.

In millions of dollars

9.3

3.2

Bench Research

Clinical Trials

SOURCES OF RESEARCH FUNDING

In FY 2011, the majority of new research funding received by the Cardiovascular Program was from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Over the past three years, over 80% of new research funding was from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In dollars

9,441,677

2,883,083

143,000 15,000

NIH

Industry

AHA

University

RESEARCH PROPOSALS

Over the past three years, the U of M’s Cardiovascular Program has submitted over $172 million in new research proposals. These proposals represent diverse research initiatives such as regenerative medicine exploration, resuscitation refinement, and understanding pathological processes.

In millions of dollars

95

27.6

49.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2009 2010 2011

THE HEART RESCUE PROJECT

The Medtronic Foundation has partnered with the University of MinnesotaCardiovascular Program and other leading emergency and resuscitationcenters to reduce sudden cardiac arrest deaths in the United States. Thiscollaboration, titled the Heart Rescue Project, is focused on developing andexpanding sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) community response systems bycoordinating education, training, and the application of high-tech treatmentsamong the general public, first responders, emergency medical services(EMS) and hospitals. The University of Minnesota Cardiovascular Programwas chosen as an integral partner because of our dedication to thedevelopment, evaluation and advancement of novel life-saving technologiesfor the treatment of acute cardiovascular collapse, including cardiac arrest,shock and trauma.

The Medtronic Foundation has committed more than $15 million over the nextfive years to fund state projects at the Universities of Arizona, Duke,Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Washington, with an aim to improve SCA out-of-hospital survival rates by at least 50 percent by measuring andcoordinating community-wide response programs that include bystanders,emergency medical services and hospitals. Our multi-disciplinary team ofindividuals will assess, coordinate, measure and support each layer of care inour state program and set benchmarks for success at each response level. Allof the partners will work closely to coordinate efforts that will ultimatelystrengthen each chain of response. All partners will also identify andaddress geographic disparities in resuscitative care for SCA victims and, ifpossible, build incentives into their programs to encourage local agencies toadopt new standards of care.

The vision is for every American who suffers SCA to receive lifesaving, state-of-the-art care at the scene, en route and in the hospital.

Dr. Demetris Yannopoulos,MD leads the University ofMinnesota's portion of theHeartRescue Project's efforts.One of his goals is toeducate every adult inMinnesota on performingCPR properly.

FUTURE THERAPY OF POSTINFARCTION LV REMODELING

Although there are a significant number of reports in recent literature oncellular therapy for myocardial repair using different type of stem cells,the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.

Post-infarction left ventricular remodeling including hypertrophy andchamber dilation occurs to compensate for loss of contractile myocardium.After a period stable hypertrophy myocardial dysfunction can developand may ultimately lead to overt congestive heart failure (CHF), which is asignificant clinical problem.

Dr. Jianyi (Jay) Zhang, MD, PhD, has received $1.6 million from theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the combined use of novelhuman iPSC-derived populations of cardiac progenitor cells (CPC), fibrinpatch, and the large bore high field magnet to generate findings that willbe readily applicable to patients and lead to better diagnostic andtherapeutic modalities for acute myocardial infarction and postinfarctionLV remodeling.

The utilization of novel hiPSC-derived CPCs provides great promise forfuture therapy of postinfarction LV remodeling using human pluripotentstem cells.

Dr. Jianyi (Jay) Zhang, MD,PhD feels there is greatpromise for future therapy ofpostinfarction LV remodelingusing human pluripotentstem cells.

LILLEHEI CLINICAL RESEARCH UNIT

The Lillehei Clinical Research Unit (LCRU) is an innovative trialscenter run by the Lillehei Heart Institute and connected to boththe University of Minnesota campus and the University ofMinnesota Medical Center, Fairview. Conducting research inall aspects of cardiovascular disease and its prevention, theLCRU recruits study participants from Minnesota andnationally to help answer critical questions about newtreatment modalities, innovative medical devices, and diseaseprevention strategies.

The LCRU has grown significantly in the past 3 years andcurrently consists of a research manager with over 20 years inclinical research, 8 research coordinators with a broad rangeof expertise, an Associate Director for the prevention ofcardiovascular events statewide campaign, a researchassistant, a laboratory technician, and an administrativeassistant. In the next year, the staff is expanding to includetwo biostatisticians, and an informatics/database manager.The clinical faculty are leading experts within their sub-specialties, and bring that breadth of knowledge tocardiovascular research. Together with Community PracticeCardiologists located at Fairview Southdale in Edina MN,there are 48 Cardiologists participating in Clinical Trials.Active areas of study include interventional cardiology,electrophysiology, congestive heart failure,transplant/ventricle assist devices, prevention, imaging,pulmonary hypertension, and peripheral artery disease.

In FY 2011, the Cardiovascular Program was awarded 20new clinical trials worth $3.2 million.

The faculty of the University of Minnesota'sLillehei Clinical Research Unit (LCRU) areleading experts within their sub-specialities. Over the past 3 years, theCardiovascular Program has received over$8 million in new clinical research funding.

NEW LILLEHEI HEART INSTITUTE RESEARCH FACILITY

2011 marked a milestone in cardiovascular research at the University ofMinnesota, as the University started construction of a new 60,000square-foot Lillehei Heart Institute Research Facility to further enhanceclinical and basic science research and development. The world-classcardiovascular research space will occupy part of, and share coreresources in, a new 280,000 square-foot building designed to facilitatecross-disciplinary research.

The construction of this new facility is part of a $292 million fundingprogram approved by the state of Minnesota. Thanks to theLegislature’s commitment to keeping Minnesota a leader in biomedicaladvances, the University is constructing state-of-the-art researchbuildings in its Biomedical Discovery District, located on the north side ofTCF Bank Stadium.

Also as part of the state-backed project, the University’s world-renowned Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), which isused frequently for cardiovascular research, is being renovated andexpanded. The expanded building will house the largest magnet everattained for human studies.

The new Lillehei Heart InstituteResearch Facility will be a world-class cardiovascular researchspace , showing our commitmentto keeping Minnesota a leader inbiomedical advances.

Daniel J. Garry, MD, PhDChair, Cardiovascular DivisionDirector, Lillehei Heart InstituteProfessor of Medicine(612) 626-2178garry@umn.edu

Robert Wilson, MDFred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation Chair in Adult Clinical Cardiology Executive Medical Director, University of Minnesota Physicians Cardiovascular Service LineDirector, Interventional-Cardiology Fellowship ProgramProfessor of Medicine(612) 625-7924wilso008@umn.edu

Robert Bache, MDDirector of Cardiovascular Research, Cardiovascular DivisionProfessor of Medicine(612) 624-8970bache001@umn.edu

Gary Francis, MDAssociate Director, Lillehei Clinical Research UnitProfessor of Medicine(612) 626-2178garry@umn.edu

Andrea SilvermanAdministrative Director, Cardiovascular Division and Lillehei Heart Institute(612) 625-8988silve265@umn.edu

Denise Windenburg, BA, CCRCAssistant Program Director, Lillehei Clinical Research Unit(612) 624-5629dwinden@umn.edu

Corey Graves, CRAResearch Manager, Cardiovascular Division and Lillehei Heart Institute(612) 625-7964cmgraves@umn.edu

Contacts