Juan F. Granada, MD, president and chief executive officer of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), spoke to us about what attendees can expect to see at TCT 2022, CRF's annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapies (TCT) conference, in Boston on Sept. 16-19. Granada is also an assistant professor of medicine with the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
"Meetings like TCT are more than just a meeting," Granada explained. "Meetings like this are were innovations and inventions are started, big clinical trials are started because people were able to get together and plan it, and it is where data were generated and presented so guidelines could be changed. Is it is not just going to a meeting—these meetings are really the engines of our field, allowing people to get together and interact with each other. I think it really is time that we get back together and begin re-energizing the field again."
He said it was evident that virtual meetings the past couple years due to COVID-19 were not able to maintain the same level of energy and collaboration that in-person meetings allow.
But this year, as COVID appears to wane, he is hopeful TCT will again be the powerhouse meeting it has been prior to the pandemic. Registration, he noted, is higher this year than it was the last two years.
New this year: The TCT MedTech Innovation Forum
On Sept. 16, the first day of TCT 2022, CRF and Fogarty Innovation are hosting the first-ever TCT MedTech Innovation Forum. The all-day event was designed to bring together stakeholders from today’s healthcare industry—including clinicians, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers—in one place to discuss the many challenges they face on a daily basis and explore potential solutions to those problems. It will include informative sessions, roundtable discussions and multiple breaks for networking and interacting with one another. A full schedule is available here.
"Our field is facing a lot of challenges, so we decided got do this forum as a way to bring different stake holders to get together and really talk," Granada said. "If will be like a big town hall meeting to talk about all the issues we face, and how can we solve some of these issues."
Structural heart seeing major changes and rapid growth
Granada also talked about the incredible growth currently going on in the structural heart space when it comes to innovation and looking toward the future. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) technology now makes up more than 80% of the aortic replacement volume, and as the technology matures, the research focus is switching from patient selection and treatment decisions to the development of more long-term care strategies.
"TAVR is now becoming a more mature technology and now the technological fight is based on leaflet durability and different attributes that ensure the long-term performance of the devices," Granada said.
It is growing more important than ever to look ahead, he added, because TAVR devices are being placed in younger patients in increasing numbers.
Mitral valve procedures such as transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) and transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) are also sure to be a hot topic at TCT 2022, but it has become apparent that the mitral valve is complex and carries many more variables than the aortic valve. This has slowed progress in developing new devices. However, work in the area of transcatheter tricuspid valve repair and replacement (TTVR) has taken center stage, with several devices poised to face U.S. FDA approval in the next year or two. It is now widely expected TTVR will leap ahead of TMVR device development and regulatory approval.
Granada also discussed the large number of late-breaking clinical trials that will be featured during TCT 2022, noting that they could lead to key changes in the future direction of these therapies.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.