CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) will continue their fight against heart disease with the help of a $10.8-million 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 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 could be help diabetics with heart failure and hardened arteries, heart attack and stroke victims, and those who have damaged their cardiovascular system through an unhealthy lifestyle. The program is unique and inherently translational, and may provide a model for other institutions to follow. www.musc.edu. Contact Tim Gehret (843) 792-2626
Medical University of South CarolinaCONTACT: Tim Gehret of Medical University of South Carolina,+1-843-792-2626
Web site: http://www.musc.edu//