Overview

CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Director: Harris J. Granger, PhD

CVRI Division of Vascular Biology

Director: Cynthia J. Meininger, PhD

CVRI Division of Molecular Cardiology

Director: Kenneth M. Baker, MD

CVRI Division of Lymphatic Biology

Director: David C. Zawieja, PhD

Cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer in Texas and the US. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, cardiovascular disease (including heart disease, stroke and hypertension) caused 35% of all deaths in 2004. By comparison cancer, the number 2 killer, accounted for 23% of deaths in this country in the same period.

The Cardiovascular Research Institute strives to integrate research, training and clinical practice focusing on the heart and blood vessels. The Institute represents a cooperative venture between Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Scott & White Clinic and the Olin E. Teague VA Medical Center with participating sites in College Station and Temple. In addition to 70 basic scientists, a key resource of the Institute consists of the more than 40 cardiovascular physicians from participating clinical institutions specializing in cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery and vascular surgery.

The specific goals of the Cardiovascular Research Institute are:

to foster research as the key to gaining an understanding of the mechanisms of human cardiovascular disease and to developing new therapies for these disorders;

to provide a forum for exchange of ideas and solutions to problems;

to improve the ability of basic and clinical researchers to access human tissues and patient populations,

to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice through translational research (i.e. lab bench to bedside),

to position the College of Medicine and its clinical partners for a more aggressive approach to competing for extramural research funding,

to stabilize, strengthen and expand subspecialty training programs in cardiovascular medicine and surgery, and

to provide a strong academic environment for training of undergraduates, medical students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and residents/ subspecialty fellows in the cardiovascular field.

A primary focus of basic research in the Cardiovascular Research Institute is on development, growth and physiological regulation of the cells that comprise the heart and blood vessels. A strong emphasis of the program is on molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular function and disease along with use of state-of-the art technologies to probe these phenomena. From a clinical perspective, the Institute is especially interested in atherosclerosis, inflammation, heart failure, ischemia, diabetes and hypertension.

Communication among CVRI investigators is facilitated through a weekly Cardiovascular Forum, involving seminars and other interactions with outstanding visiting scientists, and an annual CVRI Research Retreat.

CVRI investigators also collaborate on joint research grants and team-based instruction and training of graduate students and postdocs.