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Oxford academics partner with SBI Pharmaceuticals to improve cardiac surgery

Clinical Trials Innovation Research

Researchers from the University of Oxford are collaborating with the Japanese pharmaceutical company, SBI Pharmaceuticals, to minimise deterioration of heart function outcomes after cardiac surgery.

© Sergey Nivens - Shutterstock

The Trial of δ--Aminolevulinic Acid to Enhance Myocardial Protection (TALEN) will take place across the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

During coronary artery bypass surgery or aortic valve replacement, there is a period of time where the heart is without a blood supply, leading to long term damage in some instances. While surgical protocols are in place to limit this damage, TALEN seeks to improve on these established techniques by steeling the heart against injury, prior to surgery. This is the first UK-based clinical trial of its kind using proprietary compound δ--Aminolevulinic Acid (ALA) that SBI Pharmaceuticals has financed.

Read more (Radcliffe Department of Medicine website)

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