 Carol Gregorio and postdoctoral researcher Laszlo Grama discuss research results. |
Why is it that some people's hearts last for a lifetime while others' stop beating at a youthful age? What makes some people suffer from hypertension in spite of a healthy diet and plenty of exercise? How can tissue engineering be used to repair the damage from a heart attack? To help provide answers to questions like these, the UA College of Medicine is launching the Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program, a new initiative to investigate the underlying biological mechanisms of heart disease, stroke and other malfunctions of the circulatory system. The Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program will complement the excellent clinical research at the College of Medicine and further strengthen UA's position at the forefront of medical research on a national level. Carol C. Gregorio, PhD, associate professor in the College of Medicine and an internationally renowned basic researcher, has been appointed director of the Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program. |
"Our goal is to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms of the cardiovascular system and to truly understand how it functions," said Dr. Gregorio. "We are in the process of identifying top-priority research areas within cardiovascular medicine and hiring new faculty to bring new ideas and new technologies that will have an immediate impact on our basic and clinical research."
The Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program will emphasize translational research "from bench to bedside" - basic and clinical researchers will work hand in hand to bring new discoveries from the laboratory to clinical application.
Dr. Gregorio points to a group of heart defects collectively known as cardiomyopathies to illustrate how the program intertwines clinical and basic research.
"Let's assume a clinical researcher finds a genetic mutation associated with a certain form of cardiomyopathy. Using the clinical findings as a starting point, basic researchers can then uncover the precise molecular mechanisms leading to the disruption in the heart muscle structure that ultimately cause the disease," she said.
The Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program is one of four new research initiatives at the UA College of Medicine to be housed in the Medical Research Building, which is slated for substantial completion in June. The other new basic research programs at the College of Medicine focus on diabetes, neuroscience and cancer.
 | Taking Shape! The view from the Swede Johnson Building, at Cherry between Helen and Speedway, shows progress on the new buildings at AHSC as of December 2005. The Thomas W. Keating Bioresearch Building is in front, with the Medical Research Building to the north. |
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