For Immediate Release Contact:
Brooke Tyson Hynes,
617-636-0205,
btysonhynes@tufts-nemc.org
Catherine Bromberg,
617-636-0206,
cbromberg@tufts-nemc.org
Tufts Medical Center Institute Celebrates 10 Years of Ground-breaking Cardiovascular Research
-MCRI discoveries advance understanding, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease-
Boston -- The Molecular Cardiology Research Institute of Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine celebrates its 10th anniversary tomorrow, marking a decade of major scientific research leading to the improved understanding, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. In honor of this special occasion, the MCRI is sponsoring a special scientific symposium and Medical Grand Rounds at Tufts Medical Center on Friday, January 18. The morning-long symposium will feature presentations by leading MCRI clinician-researchers and other nationally and internationally known cardiac and cardiovascular clinician-researchers.
In addition, more than 200 supporters will honor the organization’s growth and contributions Thursday at a dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel, with a keynote address by Elizabeth Nabel, MD, Director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
“This is an important moment for us to reflect on the accomplishments of the MCRI and to challenge our organization to stretch further in the coming decade to bring the research of our labs to the many people still suffering from heart disease,” said Michael E. Mendelsohn, M.D., MCRI’s Executive Director. “Great strides have been made but there is more is to be done, which makes our work feel fresh and exciting.”
The MCRI began as one laboratory focused on vascular function; today it includes 10 laboratories, 17 principal investigators and almost 100 members. Among the major work of the MCRI is groundbreaking research identifying molecular receptors for the hormone estrogen in the blood vessels and the heart. This discovery has been instrumental in furthering the understanding of estrogen’s role in protecting humans against heart disease and in developing more effective hormone therapies for women.
MCRI researchers are also leading advancements in signaling by blood vessel and heart cells: the processes by which a molecule causes a cascade of molecular dominoes to fall in blood vessel and heart cells that lead to a change in how the cell behaves. MCRI Investigators study signals transmitted by receptors on the surface of cells and by the molecules within cells that transmit the signals, causing responses in the blood vessel or heart. Understanding how cells and tissues respond in this way allows the development of new diagnostic tools and therapies- the essence of translational research.
Ongoing programs at MCRI hold potential for development of new drug targets, therapies and approaches for atherosclerosis, sepsis, asthma, heart attack, post-angioplasty restenosis, transplant vasculopathy and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
“We are extremely proud of the major contributions to science and patient care that the MCRI has made over the last decade,” said Ellen Zane, president and CEO of Tufts Medical Center. “The impact of these researchers is felt around the world and will impact cardiovascular disease treatments for decades to come. I look forward to seeing the work of their next 10 years.”