A laser-guided wire to open completely blocked coronary arteries
Transvenous Optoacoustic-Ultrasound Guided Cold Laser Wire for Crossing Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion
['FUNDING_R01'] · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · NIH-11200386
A new optoacoustic-ultrasound guided cold laser wire is being developed to help doctors cross and reopen long-standing, fully blocked coronary arteries in people with chronic total occlusions.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (HOUSTON, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11200386 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
This project focuses on people who have coronary chronic total occlusions—arteries fully blocked for at least three months—that cause chest pain, breathlessness, and fatigue. The team is building a thin wire that uses optoacoustic and ultrasound imaging together with a cold laser tip to find and cross the true artery lumen without cutting through vessel walls. The approach is designed to make percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) safer and more successful than current mechanical or subintimal techniques, potentially reducing the need for open-heart bypass surgery. Work will include device development and testing leading toward procedures performed at clinical centers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with a confirmed coronary chronic total occlusion (complete blockage for three months or more) who have symptoms like angina or reduced exercise tolerance and who are considered possible PCI candidates.
Not a fit: People without chronic total occlusions, those whose blockages are not anatomically suitable for a wire-based PCI approach, or patients better served by bypass surgery would not be expected to benefit from this device.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this device could allow less invasive, safer reopening of chronically blocked coronary arteries with shorter recovery and fewer complications than current options.
How similar studies have performed: Many prior intravascular devices have struggled to reliably cross coronary CTOs, and this combined optoacoustic-ultrasound cold laser approach is novel with limited prior human data.
Where this research is happening
HOUSTON, UNITED STATES
- BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE — HOUSTON, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: MILNER, THOMAS E — BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- Study coordinator: MILNER, THOMAS E
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.