---
title: Studies of Neuregulin/ERBB Signaling in Human Heart
nct_id: NCT02820233
overall_status: RECRUITING
sponsor: Douglas B. Sawyer
study_type: OBSERVATIONAL
primary_condition: Heart Disease
countries: United States
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT02820233.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02820233"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2025-04-03
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T06:42:35.413Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# Studies of Neuregulin/ERBB Signaling in Human Heart

**Official Title:** Isolation and Characterization of ERBB Expressing Human Heart Progenitor Cells

**NCT ID:** [NCT02820233](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02820233)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** OBSERVATIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 80
- **Lead Sponsor:** Douglas B. Sawyer
- **Collaborators:** MaineHealth
- **Conditions:** Heart Disease, Vascular Disease, Heart Failure
- **Start Date:** 2015-06
- **Completion Date:** 2029-06
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2025-04-03

## Brief Summary

This study examines the role of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor family and the EGF family of ligands in the regulation of non-myocytes isolated from the human heart.

## Detailed Description

The EGF family of receptor tyrosine kinases (a.k.a. ERBB receptors) mediate the effects of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family including Neuregulin-1β (NRG). NRG and ERBB1-4 are critical for cardiac development and maintenance of the adult heart. Current understanding of the role of EGF/NRG/ERBB signaling in the cardiovascular system is rapidly evolving due to recent findings in non-myocyte cell populations. This study is examining a population of progenitor cells in the adult human heart that responds to EGF and NRG. Subjects are enrolled who are scheduled to undergo heart surgery and are willing to allow for a small biopsy to be taken from their hearts during surgery. Biopsies are taken to the laboratory where cells are separated and analyzed by flow cytometry and grown in cell culture to understand how their biology is regulated by NRG and EGF.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** No

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Clinical diagnosis of severe coronary artery disease scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

* less than 18 years of age
* unwilling or unable to provide informed consent
* known active myocarditis
* hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
* constrictive pericarditis or other significant pericardial disease
* severe pulmonary hypertension
* significant renal impairment (Cr \> 2.5 mg/dL)
* severe ventricular arrhythmias
* pregnancy
```

## Primary Outcomes

- **The number of highly proliferative clones isolated** _(time frame: up to 14 days from isolation)_

## Secondary Outcomes

- **Flow cytometric ERBB receptor expression in highly proliferative clones isolated from heart tissue** _(time frame: up to 14 days from isolation)_

## Locations (1)

- Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine, United States — _RECRUITING_

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.completionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.secondary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.collaborators` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.maine medical center|portland|maine|united states` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT02820233.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02820233*  
*This page is a raw mirror with no AI summary, no editorial enrichment, and no Parkinson's-specific filtering.*