Bruno Scheller MD

Bruno Scheller studied medicine at the University of Saarland, Germany, from 1988 to 1994. Since 1994 he has been working as a physician at the clinic for Internal Medicine III, University Hospital of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany, where he is a consultant for internal medicine, cardiology, and intensive care as well as head of interventional cardiology. He is a full professor of Clinical and Experimental Interventional Cardiology at the Medical School of the University.

Prof. Scheller worked in close cooperation with Prof. Ulrich Speck (Berlin, Charité) on the development of drug-coated balloons (DCB) for local treatment of intimal hyperplasia. Based on their observations with paclitaxel mixed contrast medium leading to inhibition of intimal proliferation after coronary angioplasty (1999), the two took the next step to local application of an antiproliferative agent on an angioplasty balloon. The first proof of concept was started in a porcine coronary model in 2002. Local intracoronary treatment with paclitaxel balloon coating resulted in a significant reduction of late lumen loss and an increase in minimal lumen diameter compared with controls.