As one of Southern California's most active and respected research facilities, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center dedicates enormous resources to conducting basic, as well as clinical, research. Our busy research laboratories are staffed by innovative and forward-thinking scientists who devote their time exclusively to discovering new techniques, devices and drugs to add to and improve treatment options for heart disorders of every kind.

One of the important benefits of being a Cedars-Sinai heart patient is that the newest cardiac treatments become available quickly after clinical studies have shown them to be effective. Some of the clinical trials currently underway include:

• The use of a patient's own bone-marrow-derived stem cells as a potential therapy in heart muscle repair
• The role of apo A-1 Milano in arterial plaque reduction
• Evaluation of the role of anticoagulants in heart failure
• Hormone replacement therapy for women with heart disease
• The effect of supplemental magnesium in patients with heart disease
• Early detection of heart disease through nuclear cardiology
• Techniques for treating restenosis (scar tissue that forms after surgery)
• Methods for improving the effectiveness of drugs after heart transplantation
• Powerful new anti-rejection medications for heart transplant patients
• Radioactive stent therapy
• Fetal cardiac correction

• ADHERE. Systematic study of the treatment and outcomes of patients admitted to the hospital with heart failure.
• BEST. Study of a new beta-blocker in patients with severe heart failure. Study was completed in 2000.
• COMPANION. Study of the use of biventricular pacing (to resynchronize the pumping function of the right and left pumping chambers of the heart) with or without a defibrillator to prevent sudden death in patients with advanced heart failure.
• ESSENTIAL Trial. Study of a new oral medication, enoximone, for patients with advanced heart failure. This medication may improve the pumping function of the heart.
• Nesiritide Cardiac Surgery Study. This is a study of a new intravenous medication, nesiritide, for patients with heart failure after cardiac surgery.
• OVERTURE. Study of a new drug Omapatrilat in patients with advanced heart failure.
• REVIVE. Study of a new intravenous medication, levosimendan, for treatment of patients who are hospitalized with advanced heart failure.
• ValHeFT. Study of new drug Valsartan in patients with heart failure. Study was completed in 2000.
• WATCH. Study of three different types of blood-thinning drugs in patients with advanced heart failure.

• ACT (Aortic Comparative Trial). In this study, the advantages and drawbacks of two different artificial heart values (a St. Jude Toronto Stentless and an Edwards Pericardial valve) is being compared.

• HERS-II. This is a follow-up to the Heart and Estrogen Replacement study and is evaluating the benefits of hormone replacement therapy in women with heart disease.
• TNT. The Treatment to New Targets trial is comparing the benefits of moderate versus high doses of cholesterol-lowering medication in patients with heart disease.
• REVERSAL. In this trial, the benefits of moderate versus aggressive cholesterol-lowering on coronary artery plaque size is being evaluated.