Hypertension & Healthcare

Biography

Dr. Seeger is Professor of Internal Medicine at the Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Germany and Director of the Department of Lung Development and Remodeling at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research Bad Nauheim, Germany. He chairs the Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), the Excellence Cluster Cardio-Pulmonary System (ECCPS) and the German Center for Lung Research (DZL). Focusing on the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in partnership with the scientists of these centers, he revealed disturbances of the NO synthase - soluble guanylate cyclase – cGMP – phosphodiesterase V pathway on several levels, adding to the lack of prostaglandin I2 to promote prolonged pulmonary vasoconstriction in PH. Moreover, growth factor abnormalities (in particular PDGF upregulation) and epigenetic mechanisms (in particular micro-RNA signaling alterations and epigenetic silencing of BMPR2) were identified as major contributors to the abnormal inward remodeling processes underlying PH. Translating these finding into novel treatment concepts, the Giessen team initiated and carried through preclinical and clinical trials the development of inhaled iloprost (worldwide approval 2004), sildenafil (approval 2005), inhaled treprostinil (approval 2010) and riociguat (approval 2014) for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Along the same line, riociguat was approved for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH; first drug in this class). Moreover, this team forwarded the concept that “reverse remodeling” is the novel treatment goal in PH and proved in preclinical up to phase III trials that the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib meets this goal, though it was not approved for PH treatment due to serious side effects.

Abstract

Abstract : Current and future treatment concepts in pulmonary hypertension