TRaCE was created in 2006 to support the research efforts of the Department of Internal Medicine and other university-wide collaborators. The division assists in the areas of study design, data collection, clinical trial management and manuscript/grant preparation. TRaCE has been an integral resource utilized by researchers within the Department of Internal Medicine as well as other university and community-based investigators since its inception.

The open house will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. in the second-floor lobby of the University Health Center.  Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with Department of Internal Medicine Chair and TRaCE Division Chief John Flack, M.D., as well as other members of the division.

Tenure Granted

Deborah Ellis - Pediatrics

Csaba Juhasz - Pediatrics

Melody Neely - Immunology & Microbiology

T.R. Reddy - Immunology & Microbiology

Promotion to Associate Professor

Nahed Abdel-Haq - Pediatrics

Nelia Afonso - Internal Medicine (General Medicine)

Nedim Cakan - Pediatrics

Deborah Ellis - Pediatrics

Sonia Hassan - Obstetrics & Gynecology (Perinatology Research Branch)

Csaba Juhasz - Pediatrics

Melody Neely - Immunology & Microbiology

Rajaprabhakaran Rajarethinam - Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences

T.R. Reddy - Immunology & Microbiology

Gabriel Sosne - Ophthalmology

Joel Steinberg - Internal Medicine (Geriatrics)

Youming Xie - Cancer Institute

Promotion to Professor

Cynthia Aaron - Emergency Medicine

George Alangaden - Internal Medicine (Infectious Disease)

Murali Guthikonda - Neurosurgery

Sabrina Heidemann - Pediatrics

Mark Juzych - Ophthalmology

Jason Mateika - Physiology

Bharati Mitra - Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Robert Morris - Obstetrics & Gynecology

Otto Muzik - Radiology

George Yoo - Otolaryngology

Dr. Jenkins is professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Howard University and adjunct professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University. After completing a fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at Montefiore Hospital in New York, she began an adolescent medicine program at Howard. In 1994, she was appointed department chair, and during her tenure directed the departmental training program and practice plan.

The dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Detroit Yacht Club. Dr. Jenkins will speak at 6:30 p.m.

The office is in the process of creating a new Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, which will include a postdoctoral association. The primary goal of the association is to offer networking opportunities and to explore ways the office can provide assistance for a productive postdoctoral experience.

The lunch includes free pizza, soft drinks and cookies. RSVP to ddona@med.wayne.edu by May 12. To learn more about the office, call (313) 577-1455.

“These faculty members are indicative of the quality educators training the future generations of physicians at the School of Medicine,” said Robert M. Mentzer Jr., dean of the School of Medicine and senior advisor to the President for Medical Affairs. “The students who entrust their medical education to Wayne StateUniversity know they are trained by the best.”

William Crossland, Ph.D., received the prestigious Wayne State University President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Crossland, an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, was recognized for his outstanding contributions to teaching at the School of Medicine with a $2,500 award and a citation from President Irvin D. Reid.

Dr. Crossland joined the department in 1975 and has served as an associate professor since 1980. His research interests focus on the formation and maintenance of neuronal connections in the visual system. Dr. Crossland, who also received the Lamp Award from medical students in 2007, was one of the first faculty members to develop computer-based content for students. School of Medicine administration selected Dr. Crossland to attend the Stanford Program for Basic Science Educators in 2007 in recognition of his excellence in education.

A Board of Governors Distinguished Faculty Fellowship was awarded to Judith Whittum-Hudson, Ph.D., a professor in the Departments of Immunology and Microbiology, Internal Medicine, and Ophthalmology.

Dr. Whittum-Hudson has devoted her career to chlamydial infections and the development of vaccine candidates to counter the infections.

Dr. Whittum-Hudson said she will use the fellowship to support preclinical studies to characterize new protective peptide or DNA vaccine candidates recently derived in her laboratory.

Jack Sobel, M.D., chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, who also was recently named a Distinguished Professor by the university, was honored with the Charles H. Gershenson Distinguished Faculty Fellowship.

Dr. Sobel, who became professor of Medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in 1985, has earned international renown for creating an academic field in the study and treatment of vaginal infections. Each of the six scientifically-oriented vaginitis clinics in the world is led or staffed by at least one doctor trained by Dr. Sobel.

Dr. Sobel said he will use the fellowship to help conduct the first major study directed at a new form of infection, which he has named Desquamative Inflammatory Vaginitis.

Rodney Braun, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, received a Career Development Chair Award. The award is presented to seven recently tenured faculty members to support the teaching and research of faculty in the developmental stages of their careers.

Braun’s research focuses on the development of novel treatments for tumors, including breast cancer and ocular melanoma. He was awarded a Department of Defense high-risk IDEA Award and has secured funding from the National Eye Institute that supported published groundwork research for studies to evaluate new treatments for choroidal melanoma.

Braun said he will use the award to further his research to determine whether two anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat ocular pain can inhibit new vessel growth in choroidal explants.

Jeffrey Loeb, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, received the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award. The award goes to graduate faculty recognized by their departments and graduate students as excellent mentors.

Loeb has supervised five completed doctoral dissertations over a nine-year period, something he refers to as one of his greatest accomplishments. He played a significant role in designing the M.D./Ph.D. program, and in fostering translational research.

The two groups have discontinued using the WSU On-Line Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) Training Program and now require that all investigators and study staff take online training modules developed by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). This commercially available program is widely used at research institutions nationwide and is updated automatically to provide the latest regulatory information and guidance.

Completely replacing the former RCR program, CITI will be required by all investigators and personnel. Training is required even if the RCR modules were taken in the past, and must be completed before obtaining approval for new protocol submissions and for continuation approval of ongoing protocols as of June 1, 2008. Training must also be completed by all HIC and AIC members and staff, including new personnel added by amendment. It is the expectation of the committees that all WSU research personnel will complete the CITI training within one year if a new protocol is not submitted before that time.

Please visit the HIC and AIC websites (www.hic.wayne.edu or www.aic.wayne.edu) for more information about completing CITI training.

The guest speaker at the April 26 event was Galen Duncan, senior director of player development for the Detroit Lions. This year’s theme, “Dream, See, Do, Be,” focused on the importance of continuing education and career development and opportunities.

“We want to stress to the students that they can overcome challenges to be successful,” said first-year medical student Cecelia Calhoun, who, with first-year medical student Rebecca Lynch, serves as co-chairwoman of Young Doctors of Detroit. Ms. Calhoun is from Detroit, while Ms. Lynch hails from Terra Haute, Ind.

Eric Ayers, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine/pediatrics and associate program director of internal medicine/pediatrics; and Silas Norman, M.D., assistant dean of Admissions, also spoke to the high school students.

“They are very engaging speakers,” said Ms. Lynch. “We wanted them to speak on the importance of education and advancement. It’s important to provide role models.”

The 75 students also had the opportunity to break into smaller groups with volunteer professionals in a variety of careers to hear about what it takes to excel in those fields. The professionals spoke about the challenges they met while working toward their chosen careers.

Young Doctors of Detroit provided a pizza lunch for the 75 students and their parents.

Receiving honorary Doctor of Laws degrees will be Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster and author Ernie Harwell and businessman/philanthropist Yousif B. Ghafari of Bloomfield Hills. Receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award will be Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

Four graduating students also will be honored. Receiving the David D. Henry Award will be Katherine Cockrel of Detroit and Mark Mathes of New Boston. Receiving the Howard A. Donnelly Award will be Amarinder Singh of Rochester and Tarak Trivedi of Troy. The prestigious Henry and Donnelly awards are presented for high scholastic achievement, leadership and service.

Ernie Harwell, Yousif Ghafari to receive honorary doctoral degrees
Legendary broadcaster Ernie Harwell, the voice of the Detroit Tigers for 42 of his 55 years behind the microphone, became the first active broadcaster inducted into major league baseball's Hall of Fame in 1981. His name has since been enshrined in nine other sports and broadcasting halls of fame, including the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

A World War II veteran of the Marines, Harwell started his broadcasting career in 1946 with a minor league team in Atlanta. He also has been a broadcaster for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants and Baltimore Orioles. His broadcast style, knowledge of baseball history and winning personality have made him beloved by fans and players alike. Over the years, he has been a frequent spokesman for charities and nonprofit organizations.

Yousif Ghafari is founder and chairman of Ghafari Inc., an architectural, engineering, design consultation, and professional staffing company headquartered in Dearborn. A graduate and major benefactor of Wayne State University, Ghafari has been nominated by President George W. Bush as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia, pending U.S. Senate confirmation. A member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, he was one of three U.S. public delegates to the 59th United Nations General Assembly in 2004.

Ghafari holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics, a master's degree in applied mathematics and computer applications, and a master's degree in chemical engineering, all from Wayne State. He earned a master's degree in business administration from Michigan State University. He is a past recipient of WSU's Corporate Leadership Award and Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award. He also is a member of the College of Engineering's Hall of Fame. He serves as a volunteer on the boards of many civic and charitable organizations. In recognition of his outstanding support for the university, Wayne State renamed one of its newest residence halls for Ghafari in 2005.

As executive director of UNFPA, Wayne State alumna Thoraya Ahmed Obaid heads a UN agency that helps governments around the globe to formulate policies and strategies to reduce poverty and support sustainable development. The first Saudi Arabian to head a United Nations agency, she also chairs the UN's principal interagency body for coordinating administrative and management matters. In her current position, the executive director has placed special focus on culture and religion in the agency's development work, linking universal values of human rights to conviction of human worth promoted by all religions and found in all cultures.

Before joining UNFPA, Obaid was deputy executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia for five years. She chaired the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Gender in Amman, Jordan, in 1996 and was a member of the UN Inter-Agency Gender Mission to Afghanistan in 1997. She holds master's and doctoral degrees from Wayne State University.

Graduating senior Katherine Cockrel, is receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with dual majors in political science and public relations. She served as president of the Wayne State chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and was instrumental in helping the chapter bring the PRSSA National Conference to Detroit in 2008. She interned at one of New York City's premier public relations firms focusing on fashion, lifestyle and entertainment. She also was an intern with Franco Public Relations Group in Detroit. As a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Detroit, Cockrel worked with a mentor in visiting an elementary school, where she developed an ongoing friendship with a "little sister." She also has performed volunteer work with the Salvation Army and with Starfish Family Services.

Mark Mathes is graduating from the College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and a specialty in transportation engineering. He served as president of the WSU chapter of Chi Epsilon, the national honor society for civil engineering students, and as vice president of the WSU chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Among other service activities, he helped plan and carry out the annual, two-day "Drive Safely to Wayne State" campaign, which promotes the importance of safe driving practices. Mathes is active in the American Society of Civil Engineers, which organizes workplace visits for undergraduates, helping them familiarize themselves with the application of knowledge and skills in real-life settings.

Amarinder Singh, a participant in the WSU Honors Program, earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and is a member of MedStart, an honors program for pre-med students. She has served as president and as secretary of the Honors Student Association and is a student coordinator and peer advisor for MedStart and for HealthPro Start, an honors program for pre-pharmacy students. As a coordinator, she helped coordinate seminars and other learning experiences for students who plan to pursue careers in medicine or pharmacy. She has put her journalism training to work in writing a newsletter for the Center to Advance Palliative Care and has performed volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, the Coalition on Temporary Shelter and Project Challenge Mentor, a program that links mentors with Detroit youth who are affected by HIV. She will enter the WSU School of Medicine this fall.

Tarak Trivedi, who is graduating with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences, participated in the MedStart program offered through the Honors Program. He will pursue a degree from the WSU School of Medicine beginning this fall. He was consistently on the dean's list and has been a Princeton Review instructor and a private tutor for both the ACT and the Medical College Admission Test. In 2007, he received the Detroit MCAT Teacher of the Year Award from the Princeton Review. He has been an active volunteer with the university's Honors Program, including participation as a student ambassador for the annual Scholars Day and promoting the MedStart program at area high schools. He served as an officer with the Wayne State Chapter of Amnesty International and has volunteered at Detroit Receiving Hospital, Hannan House Senior Center, St. Patrick' Senior Center and the Detroit Fellows Tutoring Project. Last summer, Trivedi traveled to China as a participant in a program offered by Tsinghua University to help stimulate interest in higher education through teaching of the English language.

Should severe weather force cancellation of the May 3 ceremonies, commencement will be held instead on Sunday, May 4, at 11 a.m.

The Board of Governors committees convene at 9 a.m. and are open to the public. The board's standing committee meetings begin with the Budget and Finance Committee at 9 a.m., and the Academic Affairs Committee at 10 a.m. Following a break, the board returns for a public session at 2 p.m.

The agenda for the meeting and documents to be discussed may be accessed at the board's Web site, www.bog.wayne.edu.
For additional information, contact the Office of the Secretary at (313) 577-2034.

Wayne State University's Board of Governors is one of three university governing bodies in Michigan (including the University of Michigan and Michigan State University) that has constitutional independence. Its members, who serve eight-year terms, are elected by voters throughout Michigan.

The designation is the highest honor the university can bestow on a faculty member. The university has appointed only 31 faculty members as distinguished professors since it began the program in 1959. Important criterion for the honor is a reputation on the national and international level, and long-time standing on the university faculty. The distinguished professor receives an annual grant.

Barry P. Rosen, Ph.D., professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Jack Sobel, M.D., chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases; and Linda Hazlett, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, are among nine university faculty to be given the title of 2007 Distinguished Professor.

Dr. Sobel graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1965. He served as a research fellow in Infectious Diseases, Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases, with the National Institutes of Health, and as a fellow in Infectious Diseases at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He joined the School of Medicine as a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in 1985, the same year he was named chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases.

“The award is particularly pertinent since it has been a rare event to recognize a clinician as opposed to a basic science scientist,” said Dr. Sobel. “… Wayne State University Medical School has a national reputation for clinical and translational research, and we need to acknowledge and celebrate our excellence.”

He served as president of the Michigan Infectious Diseases Society from 1997 to 1999, and is a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, National State President’s Committee, as well as the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Practice Guidelines Committee.

Dr. Sobel received the Distinguished Faculty Award, Department of Internal Medicine, from WSU in 1986. Named a “Best Doctor in America” 10 years, he was also presented with the School of Medicine’s Teaching Award in 2004. He has served as a consultant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s special committee for recommending guidelines for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Dr. Hazlett has published innumerable papers, chapters and books. Her major research interests are ocular infection and pathogenesis; inflammation; cytokines and chemokines; innate immunity; immunopathogenesis; and aging and infectious disease.

She is a member of the American Association of Anatomists, the American Society for Cell Biology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the International Society for Eye Research, the American Society for Microbiology and the American Association of Immunologists.

“It is an honor that I did not anticipate, but for which I am most pleased,” said Dr. Hazlett, who graduated with a doctorate degree in anatomy from Ohio State University in 1971. She joined the Wayne State University School of Medicine that same year as an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy.

In 1989, Dr. Hazlett was awarded the Charles Gershenson Distinguished Faculty Fellowship by the university. She was the recipient of the university’s first Interdisciplinary Program Development Award in 1991, and in 2002 she was named to the WSU Academy of Scholars.

Dr. Rosen is a world-renowned scientist at the School of Medicine whose research has been continuously funded for 35 years. He holds three major grants from the National Institutes of Health, with nearly $1 million per year in funding. His research in the area of arsenic detoxification is at the forefront of his field, and he is one of the leading experts in this subject.

Dr. Rosen was recently elected president of the Association of Medical and Graduate Departments of Biochemistry, the national organization of biochemistry departments. The association represents medical school and graduate departments in addressing key issues related to biomedical science, health research and education. As AMGDB president, Dr. Rosen will speak on topics regarding biomedical science and education with key members of the House and Senate at the National Caucus of Basic Biomedical Science Chairs’ visit to Congress. The caucus emphasizes the need to maintain the nation's leadership in scientific discovery and improvements in the quality of life.

Dr. Rosen was named a Gershenson Distinguished Faculty Fellow by the university in 1997. He received the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award in 1999. In 2005, he received the National Institutes of Health’s Method to Extend Research in Time Award. He has served on the advisory board of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics since 2004, and is president of the Wayne State University Academy of Scholars.

“I am very pleased to be recognized by Wayne State University as a Distinguished Professor,” said Dr. Rosen. “This is the highest honor that the university can bestow on a faculty member. It is the culmination of a 21-year career in the School of Medicine, but not the end. I expect that I will continue to make substantial contributions to the university and to science.”

The symposium brought together investigators and researchers from around the country to examine the latest discoveries on the subject and to discuss new possible treatments for patients and applications of anti-inflammatory drugs.

“This is an exciting time for research,” said symposium speaker Charles N. Serhan, Ph.D., of Harvard University. “I hope people apply these new theories from this symposium and consider the effects of uncontrolled inflammation when studying disease.”

Inflammation is the body’s normal physiological response to injury. However, if prolonged, it can lead to various diseases or aggravate existing problems.

“Inflammation is the most important mechanism associated with disease at this moment in medicine,” said Roberto Romero, M.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and chief of the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “Although recognized for centuries, its importance in the control of physical processes, as well as disease, has now matured.”

The symposium presented new theories, including discoveries linking the anti-inflammatory properties of fish oils and omega-3 fatty acids to the existence of beneficial lipid mediators found in the oil.

“Today we expose scientists to areas of research they may not have been exposed to in the past,” said Kenneth Honn, Ph.D., distinguished professor of pathology at the School of Medicine and symposium organizer. “I am confident that new inflammation discoveries learned here, today, can be applied to research in many fields.”

Dr. Mentzer and Dr. Jahania are co-principal investigators for the HeartNet, a nickel-titanium alloy mesh that snugs around the heart to assist pumping action in patients with enlarged hearts and suffering from congestive heart failure. The doctors implanted the device in a 49-year-old Hamtramck man April 1 in the first such procedure in Michigan.

WJR’s Lloyd Jackson, who reported earlier this month on the surgery and the patient’s progress, will speak with Dr. Mentzer and Dr. Jahania on the Oakwood “Champions of Care” program at 10 a.m. this Sunday.

The School of Medicine was selected as one of 30 North American sites to conduct the HeartNet clinical study. The surgery was performed at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn.

Implanting HeartNet requires a small incision in the chest rather than the traditional open heart surgery. The mesh sleeve is fed into the chest cavity with a device containing a number of retractable fingers. Once the mesh is properly placed around the heart, the fingers are retracted and the implantation tool removed. HeartNet does not have to be sutured to the heart.

The less-invasive procedure allows patients a faster recovery time and a shorter hospital stay. The School of Medicine’s first HeartNet patient left the hospital three days after his surgery.

For $70, golfers enjoy 18 holes in a scramble foursome, a cart, golf balls and tees, and a buffet dinner. Golf club rentals will be available. Non-golfers can join the fun and food for only $20. The field will be limited to 120 golfers. Send registration and payment to William Kesto MSIV, 4050 Vanstone Dr., Commerce, MI 48382.

Registration deadline is May 1.

For more information, send emails to wsugolfouting@hotmail.com or tsouthwe@med.wayne.edu.

About 400 children, accompanied by their parents or grandparents, delved into the world of medicine through a variety of interesting stations positioned throughout Scott Hall. From visits with a robotic seal used to provide patient therapy to having their fingers set in plaster casts, the children were awed by their April 5 encounter with the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Inflating healthy and diseased lungs, a chance to hold cow eyes and a peek at a real human brain piqued the interest of the potential future doctors.

A visit with Leader Dogs for the Blind representatives and two of their dogs even left three young visitors -- Courtney Savoy, 8; SteFannie Weaver, 8; and Raven Smith, 10 -- confirming their desire to become veterinarians.

Visitors began their day with a tour of a City of Detroit EMS ambulance parked at the entrance to Scott Hall. From there, they entered the hall to receive a Future Docs T-shirt, and then went on to explore a number of activity stations manned by physicians and medical students. The visitors also received lunch in the Scott Hall cafeteria.

“It’s surprising how many of our graduates view this event as a perk of attending the School of Medicine,” said Dr. Robert Frank, executive vice dean, who greeted all the young Future Docs, as well as many former students who returned to show off their old educational stomping grounds to their children.

Annie Avendt, 7, who was studying human lungs at the pulmonary display, called the event “cool,” and said she plans to go into sports medicine.

The day’s demonstrations definitely made an impact on AeYanna Yett, 12. “I like it,” she said. “I want to be a pediatrician and would like to go to Wayne State.”

“She’s wanted to be a doctor since the age of 3,” said her mother, Katrina Yett.

And that’s what Future Docs is all about.

Dr. Smitherman, assistant dean of Community and Urban Health at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, will be recognized for “monumental achievements and contributions to multicultural awareness and constructive conflict resolution” at the April 17 event.

Others who will also receive the award include: B.N. Bahadur, chairman of the BBK Co.; Alvin Fishman, of the Detroit Area Peace and Justice Network; and Jennifer Jones, district governor of Rotary Bi-National District 6400.

Tickets for the awards program are $50. Reservations are required by April 10 by calling (313) 577-8268. The event, which takes place at the NextEnergy Center in the TechTown area of Detroit, begins with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres gathering at 5:30 p.m. Ticket sales will go directly to the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies.

The April 1 surgery took place at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn. The patient, a Hamtramck man, was suffering from an advanced stage of congestive heart failure.

Surgeons said the patient is “doing well,” and was released from the hospital. He was expected to remain in the hospital between five and seven days. The average hospital stay for an open heart surgery patient is eight to 10 days.

The entire procedure took 1 hour and six minutes. Traditional open heart surgery takes hours.

Designated PEERLESS-HF (Prospective Evaluation of Elastic Restraint to LESSen the effects of Heart Failure), the HeartNet therapy researched collaboratively by the School of Medicine and Oakwood Healthcare System involves an implantable device that wraps around the heart to increase its pumping ability.

The HeartNet is an elasticized structure implanted via a minimally invasive procedure. Essentially, the device snugs around and conforms to the heart in a gentle hug, augmenting the function of the heart, and potentially preventing congestive heart failure from advancing by reversing the progressive enlargement of the failing heart. This process allows surgeons to make an incision less than an inch long, opposed to a traditional open heart surgery incision, which can be 12 inches.

Dilated cardiomyopathy, one major cause of congestive heart failure, is a condition in which the heart becomes weakened and enlarged, reducing its ability to pump efficiently. The condition is characterized by a compromising of the heart’s ability to squeeze, and often by seepage of fluid into the lungs, feet, legs or abdominal cavity. The heart muscle’s inability to keep up with the body’s demands can cause the heart to enlarge, increasing stress on the heart wall. The HeartNet counteracts the condition through gentle pressure on the heart.

The American Heart Association and the Heart Failure Society of America estimate that more than 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with heart failure and that 500,000 more diagnoses are made each year. Heart failure is the leading cause of hospital admissions in the U.S. Only about half of Americans diagnosed with heart failure will survive more than five years. Each year, more than 300,000 people die from the condition.

“The potential effects of this study and the HeartNet hold tremendous promise,” said Robert M. Mentzer Jr., M.D., dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine and senior advisor to the president for medical affairs. Dr. Mentzer, a nationally recognized cardiothoracic surgeon who has performed numerous heart transplants, serves as co-principal investigator of the clinical research study, along with Salik A. Jahania, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon with the Wayne State University Physician Group and Oakwood Healthcare System. Dr. Jahania performed the procedure.

“More research is needed, but the HeartNet appears to offer the possibility of not only halting but potentially reversing congestive heart failure,” Dr. Mentzer said. “The implant could reduce the need for heart transplants among some patients.”

Along with Drs. Mentzer and Jahania, Peter Vitkevicius, M.D., and Arthur Riba, M.D., were instrumental in identifying and evaluating patients for the purposes of the study.

The investigational HeartNet is a mesh constructed of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy. Because the device conforms to the shape of the heart – expanding and contracting with each beat -- no sutures are required to attach it to the heart. The device is designed as a permanent implant.

The HeartNet is implanted through an incision in the left side of the chest. Implantation is guided by an X-ray camera projecting images on an operating room screen. The tool designed to introduce the HeartNet into the chest cavity contains a number of “fingers” that spread the mesh around the heart, and then retract once the device is properly placed. The procedure can typically be completed in 90 minutes or less.

“We are excited about the possibilities of this therapy, particularly since it offers an alternative to traditional procedures that require a more invasive opening of the chest,” said Dr. Jahania. “The heart continues to beat while the device is implanted, and the anticipated recovery period is expected to be shorter.”

The Wayne State University School of Medicine was selected as one of 30 international sites for a clinical research study of HeartNet. Oakwood Healthcare System is one of the School of Medicine’s health affiliates and has one of the largest open heart programs in metropolitan Detroit, making Oakwood the ideal location for leading-edge clinical trials and studies such as this.

The HeartNet was invented and manufactured by Paracor Medical Inc., based in Sunnyvale, Calif. Paracor plans to enroll patients at up to 30 U.S. centers under an investigational device exemption that has been reviewed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration.