"Experience gained from laboratory experiments was quickly used to improve patient care at UTMB," Raju noted. "Recently, two patients who were not good candidates for surgery were successfully treated at UTMB for postoperative leaks following esophageal and colon cancer surgery using the clip technology."

Raju said he expects that by next year, experience gained in the laboratory will allow his UTMB surgical colleagues Drs. Guillermo Gomez and William Nealon to help patients with gastrointestinal perforations and postoperative leaks. In addition, he said those surgeons hope to explore the role of endoscopy in treating patients with gastrointestinal tumors. He predicts that the minimally invasive endoscopic procedures will help such patients experience less pain, faster healing, less hospital time and lower medical costs, as is the case with laparoscopic procedures.


As for colon wound repair, Raju said if human clinical trials are as successful as those done in pigs, he would expect these procedures to be commonly adopted in hospitals in the near future.

Raju said the UTMB Center for Endoscopic Research, Training and Innovation, (CERTAIN), which he directs, plans to develop courses to train physician colleagues in the region in how to use clips and sutures to close perforations.

Acknowledging the support and guidance of Dr. Jay Pasricha, who served as his research mentor, Raju called the wound-plugging research "a team effort" by colleagues and staff at UTMB.

Raju particularly credited endoscopy research fellow Dr. Ijaz Ahmed for assisting in all the research at UTMB, and The Sealy & Smith Foundation, which donated $3 million to UTMB to expand its endoscopy facilities. Raju also cited support from Pentax Medical, Inc., for equipping the CERTAIN experimental endoscopy laboratory.

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston web site is www.utmb.edu

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