The
Prostacyclin Story: From
Discovery to Future Directions
Until recent years, the concept of
treating pulmonary arterial hypertension through a
variety of mediators and mechanisms seemed beyond
our grasp. As much as it is routinely done in other
illnesses, the possibility of applying this concept
in pulmonary hyperten-sion was remote. This picture
has radically changed, however, with the introduction
of new agents that may be used in conjunction with
prostacyclin and its analogs. The revolution in therapy
started with the man profiled in this issue, Sir John
Vane, a Nobel Prize win-ner recognized for his work
in prostaglandin research.
Perhaps the theme of this issue should
be that the revolu-tion continues. After paying a
debt of gratitude to Dr Vane, our story about prostacyclin
continues throughout this issue. We explore the need
to develop prostacyclin analogs to over-come the limitations
of the epoprostenol delivery system, elaborate on
the intriguing work with inhaled iloprost, and round
it up with a roundtable discussion ranging across
the spectrum of issues involving prostacyclin. We
are also grate-ful to Bruce Brundage, MD, president
of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, who provided
the images for this issue's cover. Slowly, but with
encouraging progress, we are getting to the point
where we will better understand how to treat pul-monary
arterial hypertension through a variety of mediators
and mechanisms. There is still much to be discovered
about prostacyclin—for example, how precisely does
the medication work? When we discover its true mechanisms
and determine how it can be used in combination with
other treatments, perhaps the revolution in therapy
will have achieved its goals.
Editor-in-Chief Richard Channick, MD
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Pulmonary and Critical Care Division
University of California, San Diego Medical Center
San Diego, California
Immediate Past Editor Ronald J. Oudiz, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Director, Liu Center for Pulmonary Hypertension
LA Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Editor-in-Chief Elect Erika Berman Rosenzweig, MD
Director, Pulmonary
Hypertension Center, Columbia University Medical Center Associate
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics (in Medicine)
Associate Editors
Kristin Highland, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine
Medical University Of Carolina
Francisco Soto, MD, MS
Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Todd Bull, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Robert Schilz, DO, PhD
Medical Director of Lung
Transplantation and Pulmonary Vascular Disease
University Hospital of Cleveland
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
Publisher
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Carl Hicks, Board Chair
Rino Aldrighetti, President
Sherrie Borden, Vice President, Medical and Patient Education
Publishing Staff Managing Editor
Deborah L. McBride
McBride Strategic Services
mcbridedeb@aol.com
P: 773-348-5455
C: 312-307-5455
Design Director
Michael McClain
Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension is circulated to
cardiologists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists and other selected
physicians by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. The contents of the articles are independently determined by the Editor
and the Editorial Advisory Board.
Editorial Mission Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension is committed
to help physicians in their clinical decision
making by informing them of important
trends affecting their practice. Analyzing the
impact of new findings and covering current
information in the peer-reviewed literature,
Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension is published
four times a year. Advances in Pulmonary
Hypertension is the official journal
of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
Each article in this journal has been reviewed
and approved by members of the Editorial
Advisory Board.
Editorial Board
Charles Burger, MD
Medical Director, PH Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Jacksonville, FL
Karen Fagan, M.D. Chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine University of South Alabama
Eli Gabbay, MD
Lung Transplant Unit
Royal Perth Hospital
Nick Kim, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of California San Diego
Deborah Jo Levine, M.D.
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX
Omar Minai, MD
Dept of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine
Myung Park, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Fernando Torres, MD Director Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
UTSW Medical Center Dallas
University Hospital
Glenna Traiger, RN, MSN
Pulmonary & Critical Care
Pulmonary Hypertension CNS
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
R. James White, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology & Physiology
University of Rochester, Division of Pulmonary and CCM
Roham Zamanian, MD
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Stanford University Medical Center
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The
Prostacyclin Story: From
