Novel program of “Treating” heart attack with ultrasound and microbubbles to save more heart muscle

Professor Kazuaki Negishi, University of Sydney

2023 Future Leader Fellowship - Level 3

Years funded: 2024 - 2027

This proposal aims to improve the prognosis and quality of life of the patients with heart attack using a novel non-invasive treatment (=sonoperfusion). Heart attack is a life-threatening condition and needs to open the blocked heart artery immediately. Our recent Australian pilot clinical trial led by CIA showed that sonoperfusion can further improve outcomes of patients with heart attack via salvaging more heart muscle. Sonoperfusion is a non-invasive therapeutic intervention using ultrasound and microbubbles as an add-on therapy to current practice (balloon and stent). This program of research has 3 aims to revolutionise the treatment of heart attack: 1) the completion of the world-first prospective multicentre clinical trial of sonoperfusion (REDUCE-PCI), 2) further optimisation of the sonoperfusion with 3D ultrasound (REDUCE-3D), and 3) animal study to determine how sonoperfusion works best with fibrinolysis (=potent blood thinner) (REDUCE- t-PA). In future, sonoperfusion can be applied in ambulance (separate funding).