Inova’s Thrombosis Research Center to conduct research on drugs for cardiovascular disease

State of the Heart

Staying on the leading edge of medicine is important to the doctors and staff at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. It has led to the establishment of the new Inova Center for Thrombosis Research and Drug Development, which is under the direction of Paul A. Gurbel, MD, Director of Interventional Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine Research. The center will conduct phase I through phase IV studies involving the early development of new medications, including “first-in-human” clinical trials.

The center is focused on studies of emerging therapies for cardiovascular disease. In fact, Dr. Gurbel and his team have been instrumental in doing early research on many drugs. Some of these drugs are now commercially available to treat cardiovascular disease. One major drug is ticagrelor (or its brand-name equivalent, Brilinta), which is now widely used for treating patients after heart attack.

Having a role in the research of state-of-the-art treatments positions Inova as a leader in cardiovascular medicine. “We will be the first to study new therapies that could translate down the road to major benefits for patients with heart disease,” says Dr. Gurbel. “This puts us clearly on the cutting edge of research and treatment.”

And while he is happy with Inova’s current place in the world of cardiovascular medicine, Dr. Gurbel expects the center will continue to grow. “Inova is a national leader, but it is also an international leader,” he says. “We want to attract new and bright minds worldwide who want to come to Inova to learn from our work and contribute to our research program.

“What we hope to do is establish Inova as a major center for investigations funded by the National Institutes of Health and private industry of novel therapies in the early phases of development,” he adds. “We also want to expand into other specialties, such as therapies for lung disease, cancer, neurology and others. We want to use this center as a platform to build all aspects of research within Inova Health System.”

On-Site Observation

One aspect that makes the Center for Thrombosis Research and Drug Development unique is its ability to provide prolonged patient housing that is required for specific investigations. Inova’s center has inpatient rooms to accommodate the requirements of the most rigorous investigations. It is common for various studies to have different housing requirements. Having a center with housing means Inova can take on a broad spectrum of studies, whether they are 24 hours in duration or require weeks of patient observation.

Visit the center online at www.inovaheart.org/thrombosisresearch