Contact: Tim Gehret
843.792.2626
Sept. 19, 2006
The combination of cardiovascular developmental biology and regenerative medicine investigation is unique, translational, and may provide a model for other institutions to follow.
Charleston -- Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) will continue their fight against heart disease with the help of a $10,790,377-grant from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) Program.
The 5-year renewal of a program unique in the Southeast will enhance the Center for Developmentally Based Cardiovascular Diseases (CDBCD), a 5-year old partnership between MUSC and the University of South Carolina (USC) aimed at promoting cell and molecular understanding of the common pathways that lead to cardiovascular disease.
Nearly 1 million Americans die each year from cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and other diseases of the circulatory system, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). CVD is South Carolina's leading killer for both men and women among all racial and ethnic groups. More South Carolinians die from cardiovascular disease than the total number of people who died from all cancers, pneumonia, influenza, and car accidents combined, DHEC officials said.
CDBCD, formed in 2001, was led by primary investigator Roger Markwald, Ph.D., chairman of cell biology and anatomy at MUSC. During the past five years, the program's collaborative efforts have led to new NIH grants at MUSC and increased research collaboration between USC, Clemson and MUSC. These collaborations have catalyzed research projects in regenerative medicine and bioengineering and contributed to awards of three endowed chairs in regenerative medicine by the S.C. legislature. It also has helped recruit outstanding new investigators and senior nationally-known scientists.
"The 5-year renewal of the COBRE grant is both an endorsement of the progress being made by our COBRE investigators to understand the developmental basis of both pediatric and adult cardiovascular diseases as well as providing the first steps towards repairing or replacing diseased heart and vascular tissues using adult stem cells guided by the natural principles originally used during development to form new tissues and organs," said Markwald. "It is our goal that this COBRE grant will continue to lift the boat for all cardiovascular research in our state and bridge the gap between the research bench and the bedside."
The latest award now makes it possible to leverage the strengths or the original program to a more challenging goal through such measures as adding more investigators, an endowed chair, and a senior scientist. The combination of cardiovascular developmental biology and regenerative medicine investigation supported at MUSC and in this COBRE is unique and inherently translational, and may provide a model for other institutions to follow.
"These awards will develop core research facilities and provide essential mentoring opportunities for young investigators working in traditionally under-funded states, so that they can eventually compete independently for NIH funding," said Barbara M. Alving, M.D., NCRR acting director. "By enhancing the intellectual infrastructure and encouraging multidisciplinary interactions, we hope to spur translational research successes and more quickly bring cures and treatments to patients who need them."
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the south. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC is home to over 3,000 students and residents, as well as nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the University and its affiliates have collective budgets in excess of $1.3 billion per year. MUSC operates a 600 bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. www.musc.edu
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