Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Hypertension Summary

Principal Investigator:  Margaret A. Schwarz, MD, currently at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (formerly a PI in the Developmental Biology Program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles).  Dr. Schwarz has been a leading investigator in the field of lung and tumor development for more than 8 years.  Although Dr. Schwarz is no longer at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles holds the rights to the IP described below.

This research has concentrated on potentially new treatments for Pulmonary Hypertension as well as Myocardial Ischemia and Atherosclerosis.

Dr. Schwarz’s research has focused on the methods of inhibiting endothelial monocyte-activating polypeptide (EMAP II) activity.  Positive results have been shown in mice and rats that these methods are successful in the treatment of subjects afflicted with pulmonary hypertension or subjects afflicted with myocardial infarct.  In the case of Pulmonary Hypertension, the use of an EMAP II receptor antagonist composition has been shown to reduce the distal pulmonary vessel thickening.  In the case of Myocardial Infarct, use of and EMAP II blocking antibody has been shown to improve myocardial revascularization and function.