Patent of the Week: Improving Post-CPR Outcomes in Heart Attack Patients

Cardiogenic shock occurs when the heart has been damaged and is unable to pump enough blood. It is a common cause of death, usually brought on by a severe heart attack. It also can occur after a patient receives CPR, though why this happens is not well understood and current treatments that restore heart function do not protect against long term damage.

An associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, Willard Sharp combines his clinical practice with an NIH-funded translational research program focused on developing novel therapies.

Through this research he has demonstrated that the main mechanism leading to post-CPR cardiogenic shock is myocardial stunning, which is specifically caused by mitochondrial damage.

To help improve post-CPR outcomes in cardiac arrest patients, Sharp has invented a novel treatment method that involves the administration of novel small molecules that inhibits myocardial stunning.

The patent-pending method addresses a novel mechanism of action for cardiogenic shock, reduces neurological damage, and improves a patient’s overall long-term outcome following CPR.

// Read more:

• Small Molecules That Improve Post-Cardiac Arrest Outcomes By Protecting Against Mitochondrial Damage – Polsky Technology Publisher
• Suppression of Superoxide-Hydrogen Peroxide Production at Site IQ of Mitochondrial Complex I Attenuates Myocardial Stunning and Improves Postcardiac Arrest Outcomes – Critical Care Medicine
• Honokiol, an activator of Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) preserves mitochondria and protects the heart from doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in mice – Oncotarget

// Patent of the Week is a weekly column highlighting research and inventions from University of Chicago faculty.