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If
pharmaceutical therapy was the basis of early successes in
treatment, then gene therapy is the newest tool in the field of
cardiac research. The human genome has been studied and decoded
and animal models, like the mouse genome, are used to help more
understanding. Science is now ready to make the leap. The final
step to be taken is the care and treatment of patients with
heart and cardiovascular disorders.
Abboud, who holds the
Edith King Pearson Chair in Cardiovascular Research, is well
known for his work in neural regulation of circulation. His
studies of humans focused on the integrated control of
sympathetic activity in physiologic and pathologic states, for
instance, the connection between sleep apnea and hypertension.
Dr. Curt
Sigmund, professor of medicine and molecular physiology and
biophysics, is famous for his research examining the genetic
basis of hypertension, renal and neuronal mechanisms which lead
to hypertension and the regulation of blood vessel function.
Dr. Kalmal
Rahmouni, assistant professor of internal medicine, is stressing
on basic science to identify neuroanatomical and molecular
pathways involved in the regulation of metabolic, autonomic and
cardiovasculation function. Of special interest is how "disregulation"
of these pathways can lead to the development of diabetes and
obesity. One aspect of his research, which dealt with a rare
genetic disorder Bardet-Biedl syndrome, also found an
association between leptin resistance and high blood pressure.
Atrial fibrillation, the common
form of irregular heart rhythms, affects many people of age 75
or older and is a leading cause of stroke. Dr. Denise Hodgson-Zingman,
assistant professor of internal medicine, compared blood samples
with a control group of 560 unrelated people without the
disorder and found that members of the affected family had a
mutation in the gene that encodes for atrial natriuretic
peptide, a hormone that is secreted by the heart and travels in
the blood.
The
Cardiomyopathy Treatment Program offers a clinical trial to
evaluate the benefits of a wireless pressure sensor for heart
failure. Directed by Barry Cabuay, M.D., assistant professor of
internal medicine, the sensor is being studied to see if it can
substantially reduce the number of hospitalizations for people
with heart failure.
"The
discovery and initiation of new therapies is extremely rapid,
taking maybe half a lifetime these days," remarks Anderson. "At
the same time, it takes a concerted effort to develop, test and
make available the discoveries for us and the next generations."
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Advances in medicine means that if CHD is detected at an early stage it can be treated successfully to extend the survival rate. Successful treatment is more likely if the disease is detected at its earliest stages. Our current research focuses on the early detection of CHD in order to halt or reverse the progress of the disease.