Heart & Blood Vessel Disease Research

The Studies

Disease of the heart and blood vessels are the number one cause of death in the U.S. Researchers in the Heart and Blood Vessel Disease Research Focus Area at NEOMED advance the understanding of these diseases with the goal of going beyond stopping their progression and ultimately, curing them. The research is comprised of four clusters of investigators in differed scientific areas with a focus on heart and blood vessel diseases:

The Statistics

$1.1 trillion

Overall impact of cardiovascular disease.

#1

Diseases of the heart & blood vessels are the number one cause of death in the U.S. accounting for more than $1/2 Trillion in healthcare costs.

30

Every thirty seconds an individual in the U.S. dies from sudden cardiac disease.

The Successes

  • Creation of molecularly engineered stem cells to build bypasses in the heart.
  • Discovery of the role that mechanical factors play in tumor blood vessel growth.
  • Discovery of the critical role of bioenergetics in cell growth.
  • Discovery that heart failure may be a disease of both blood vessels and cardiac muscle.
  • Discovery that a cell type in the heart that makes it stiff, may be mechanically activated.
  • Implementation and completion of a Phase 1 clinical trial in which a drug is given to patients to recruit stem cells to the heart to treat heart failure.
  • Discovery of a bone marrow stem that plays a role in blood vessel growth in the heart.
  • Discovery that the growth blockages in blood vessels is modulated by certain hormones released by fat. These hormones make an injured blood vessel more prone to injury.

The Stories

CONTACT

William M. Chilian, Ph.D.
Director, Heart & Blood Vessel Disease Research Area
Phone: 330.325.6426
Email: wchilian@neomed.edu

HEART & BLOOD VESSEL DISEASE RESEARCH

Research at NEOMED