Design Intervention
Researchers in the Interventional Radiology Research Laboratory
are devising new imaging techniques and safer, more effective
minimally invasive procedures to help cardiovascular patients.
The world of imaging science is rapidly evolving and the IU Department
of Radiology intends on being one of the leaders of that evolution.
One of the ways the radiology program will excel is through research
into one of the expanding areas of treatment – interventional
radiology. To that end, a major portion of coveted space at the
Research II facility has been commited to interventional radiology
research.
The Interventional Radiology Research Laboratory’s goal is
to improve quality of life for patients by testing and developing
effective minimally invasive therapies in arterial atherosclerosis,
restenosis and drug delivery.
IRRL Director Gordon McLennan, MD, assistant professor of radiology,
came to IUSM in 1998 as the Department of Radiology’s first
interventional radiology research fellow. The timing was fortuitous
for both Dr. McLennan and the medical school; funding became available
to develop the program into a full-fledged lab and he took the reins.
Under his leadership, research productivity has increased, as has
the number of individuals whose time is dedicated to interventional
radiology research. Over the past two years, the IRRL, which is
part of the Indiana Center of Excellence in Biomedical Imaging,
has received more than $300,000 in external funding, and the staff
has grown from two radiology technicians to seven full-time employees,
including two research fellows.
Much of the focus of Dr. McLennan and the IRRL has been on drug
delivery systems. The department developed a porcine model of venous
stenosis for experiments on delivery systems, treatment of blood
clots and device developments.
As a relatively new research laboratory, the possibilities are
enormous for IRRL contributions, says Dr. McLennan. Recent research
is geared to develop less toxic drugs for liver cancer. Other clinical
and research
interests include arterial disease and management of dialysis access.
Dr. McLennan and Matthew Johnson, MD, director of
IUSM’s Interventional Radiology Section, are optimistic about
the
IRRL’s future, which, Dr. Johnson says, will improve the quality
of care physicians provide to cardiovascular patients.
One key to the success is external funding, and Dr. McLennan is
aggressively pursuing research dollars from the National Institutes
of Health as well as business ties to increase corporate research
support.
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