Cardiovascular Pathobiology Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Sanford Burnham Prebys

Category: Cardiovascular Pathobiology

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Sanford-Burnham wins GlaxoSmithKline drug discovery challenge

Authorpbartosch
Date

December 1, 2014

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We’re excited to announce that a joint team of scientists from Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona and Mayo Clinic has been selected as a winner of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s 2014 Discovery Fast Track Challenge. The Challenge is designed to accelerate the translation of academic research into novel therapies. Researchers from the two organizations will work with partners at GSK to screen the pharmaceutical company’s library of compounds for potential new drugs to treat resistant hypertension, blood pressure that remains high despite treatment with current medications. The Challenge provides resources for small-molecule discovery and offers the opportunity for long-term collaboration. Continue reading “Sanford-Burnham wins GlaxoSmithKline drug discovery challenge”

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Sanford-Burnham welcomes two new scientists to Lake Nona

Authorpbartosch
Date

October 29, 2014

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We’re excited to announce that we have recruited two cardiometabolic experts to our Medical City campus in Lake Nona (Orlando), Fla. Peter A. Crawford, MD, PhD, and Andre d’Avignon, PhD, join our Cardiovascular Pathobiology Program from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. The increasing density of local scientists and clinicians in Orlando is accelerating the growth of the region’s bio-medical industry, promoting both economic development and the quality of health care. Continue reading “Sanford-Burnham welcomes two new scientists to Lake Nona”

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A signature for early-stage heart failure could improve diagnosis and prevent disease progression

AuthorGuest Blogger
Date

September 30, 2014

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This is a post by our guest writer Janelle Weaver, PhD

Heart failure affects about five million people in the United States, and about half of these individuals die within five years of diagnosis. This condition occurs when the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, and evidence suggests that abnormalities in energy metabolism play an important role. However, many past studies addressing the underlying molecular mechanisms have focused on severe, late-stage heart failure, potentially missing out on early events that could guide the development of treatment strategies for early disease stages. Continue reading “A signature for early-stage heart failure could improve diagnosis and prevent disease progression”

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New insights into how the heart forms may help identify heart defects

AuthorGuest Blogger
Date

September 29, 2014

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This is a post by our guest writer Janelle Weaver, PhD

The formation of the heart during development is a highly complex process that requires precise coordination between cells and molecular signaling pathways. The fruit fly has been widely used for studying the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms, and a great deal is known about how the fate of heart cells is controlled by signaling pathways and transcription factors—proteins that control gene activity. But beyond that, events that regulate heart formation have not been clear. Continue reading “New insights into how the heart forms may help identify heart defects”

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The bright side of free radicals

Authorsgammon
Date

September 17, 2014

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In a new study by Rolf Bodmer, Ph.D., director of the Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program at Sanford-Burnham, and Hui-Ying Lim, Ph.D., assistant member of the Free Radical Biology and Aging Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation as lead author, researchers report a previously unrecognized role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mediating normal heart function. The findings show how under normal physiological conditions, ROS produced in non-muscle heart cells act on nearby muscle cells to maintain normal cardiac function. The results provide vital insight on how ROS direct cell communications, and in addition to the heart, may be important for the function of other organs. Continue reading “The bright side of free radicals”

Institute News

The hungry heart

Authorsgammon
Date

September 4, 2014

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A normal healthy heart has the ability to choose its fuel from the menu of bioavailable substrates in the body. Glucose and fatty acids are the most common substrates, and the healthy heart switches seamlessly between the two depending on which is most available. For example, if you eat a candy bar, there is ample glucose in the blood, and the heart primarily uses that as its fuel source. In contrast, after going without food for some time, blood-sugar levels drop and the heart switches to fatty acids to provide its energy. The heart needs energy to contract, relax, repair, and rejuvenate itself. Continue reading “The hungry heart”

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Genes promote hardening of arteries in type 2 diabetes

Authorsgammon
Date

July 15, 2014

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Type 2 diabetes has become a national epidemic, affecting nearly 26 million children and adults in the U.S. and approximately 170 million worldwide. According to the American Diabetes Association, $245 billion in costs are associated with diabetes, and 1 in 5 health-care dollars is spent caring for diabetics. A significant portion of the health costs associated with diabetes are those attributed to complications of the disease—including heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, dementia, chronic kidney disease, and amputations of the lower limbs. These complications emerge partly from hardening of the arteries caused by calcium deposits—a process known as arterial calcification—and are much more common in type 2 diabetics than in non-diabetics. Continue reading “Genes promote hardening of arteries in type 2 diabetes”