Cincinnati Children's Earns $13 Million Grant to Study Genetic Causes of Heart Valve Disease
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health estimated at more than $13 million over five years to establish a research center to study the genetic causes of heart valve disease.
This Specialized Center for Clinical Oriented Research (SCCOR) grant will accelerate Cincinnati Children's efforts to translate research from the bench to the bedside, says D. Woodrow Benson, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at Cincinnati Children's and principal investigator of the SCCOR grant.
"We will define the molecular bases of valve defects so that we can assess risk and design new therapeutic approaches," says Dr. Benson. "This grant is extremely important as its stated purpose is to integrate basic research efforts with clinical practice. Cincinnati Children's offers a unique environment to successfully execute this mission."
Heart valves are doors that keep blood flowing in one direction through the heart and lungs. Valves that do not open and close well eventually weaken the heart. Surgeons perform 100,000 valve replacement operations each year.
Despite advances in treatment, valvular heart disease is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths each year. Little research has been done, however, on valve malformations, and very little is known about the way abnormal valve development leads to valve disease. Researchers at Cincinnati Children's believe that genetic factors play an important role in valvular diseases -- even diseases that aren't identified until well into adulthood.
The SCCOR grant will be applied to four projects at Cincinnati Children's:
- Dr. Benson will lead a genome-based study that will identify mutations responsible for valvular heart disease.
- Bruce Gelb, MD, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, will partner with Cincinnati Children's to study Noonan syndrome, a genetic disorder that results in valve disease and other problems.
- Katherine Yutzey, PhD, a researcher in the division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology at Cincinnati Children's, will examine a gene that plays a role in valve development and is associated with Down syndrome.
- Jeff Robbins, PhD, director of the division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology at Cincinnati Children's, will study the gene known to cause Noonan syndrome. Dr. Robbins will study how this gene results in heart disease and focus on defining novel therapeutic targets.
"When people think of valve treatment it's usually when the valve is so bad the only thing we can do is surgically replace it," says Dr. Benson. "We want to identify a genetic risk of having these valve abnormalities years before the valve actually goes bad. The question for physicians is, 'Can we learn how to use this information to improve treatment or prevent the disease?' This grant ensures that Cincinnati Children's will be at the forefront of advances in this important area."
Contact Information
Jim Feuer, 513-636-4656,
jim.feuer@cchmc.org
