Today, Brown can laugh as he recounts those summer drives to Fort Myers and back, when his worried 12-year-old daughter would incessantly send text messages saying ''r u ok?'' and ``how r u feeling?''

He can laugh because, by all early accounts, Prometheus has done its job.

HOPES ARE HIGH

''This is a complete departure from the way we've always treated heart attacks,'' Hare said. ``And, I have to say, it is breathtaking.''

Zambrano added: ``The implications are enormous.''

Hare was recruited to UM from Johns Hopkins for two reasons: to be the chief of the cardiology department and to start the stem cell research division.

In November, Brown underwent triple-bypass surgery. Four weeks earlier, Symes had removed a sampling of bone marrow from his hip bone and isolated the desired cells into a culture that would be grown into enough material to be injected into the heart.

''Once we've completed the bypass grafts, we inject the stem cells into the heart's weaker areas,'' Symes said. ``It's actually quite simple.''

What follows is an 18-month period of monitoring for each patient, highlighted by intensive monthly testing and after-care.

Things have slowed down for Brown since those hectic first weeks at the VA, but things are speeding up in a different way now. Each week, he has been able to add a quarter-mile to his daily workout walk.

By spring he was up to three miles a day. Now, at 39, he is training to compete in a mini-triathlon.

''And I'm feeling no discomfort,'' he said.

FORGING AHEAD

Although the initial case studies have been successful, the three doctors know they are facing an uphill battle. They have secured only 11 of the targeted 45 willing participants. Many who have heart damage are unwilling to wait a month for their stem cells to incubate without a guarantee that they will be in the treatment group.

''We are working with the FDA to try to guarantee that those who are in the placebo group do eventually get administered the treatment,'' Hare said.

He hopes this will entice more people to participate.

Hare estimates that, including the time needed for government approval, it could be at least five years until the treatment could be ready for general practice.

Recent budget cuts at the National Institute of Health, scheduled to take effect in two years, complicate matters, Hare said. These cuts could affect the research behind such work. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has lessened the impact of these cuts by providing grants for such work, and although the researchers at UM have applied for consideration of these funds, they will not know if they will get them until September.

But if the project can succeed, Hare predicts that it could be the biggest salvo in the battle against America's No. 1 killer.

POSITIVE THINKING

''We are very committed to this project,'' Hare said. ``We are going to finish it.''

Said Brown: ``With all the negatives that the VA system and healthcare has taken recently, I think they were really looking for something positive. This is something that can be very positive.''

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