Penn Cardiovascular Institute - Heart Research at Penn Contact | Cardiovascular Division | Patient Care
Home About Research Education Patient Care Members Clinical Trials News Events Funding Gifts

Cardiovascular Research at Penn…
Building Bridges, Accelerating Discovery, Advancing Care

The Penn Cardiovascular Institute (Penn CVI) leverages the expertise and resources of scientists and clinicians across the Penn Campus and Health System to generate research targeted to treat and cure heart and vascular disease. The Penn CVI is organized into seven research programs bridging basic science and clinical investigation to better promote interdisciplinary research.

Research Programs

Congenital Heart Disease / Development Director: Dr. Jonathan Epstein
Prevention / Atherosclerosis / Lipids Director: Dr. Daniel Rader
Myocyte Biology / Heart Failure Co-Directors: Dr. Ken Margulies, Dr. Lee Sweeney
Cardiac Electrophysiology / Channel Biology Director: Dr. Francis Marchlinski
Biotechnology / Nanomedicine / Imaging Co-Directors: Dr. Peter Davies, Dr. R. Nick Bryan
Thrombosis / Hemostasis Co-Directors: Dr. Skip Brass, Dr. Mortimer Poncz
Pulmonary Vascular Disease Director: Dr. Steven Kawut

Sample of NIH-Funded Projects NIH Projects »

Review member’s NIH-funded projects…

Learn About Our Clinical Trials Clinical Trials »

Learn about our clinical trials…

CVI Research Publications Publications »

Read a selection of member’s research articles…

Recent Research Publications …
                                     
« Back   Next »

Research Pipeline… Genetics and Personalized Medicine

Penn Complex Genetics Initiative / Cardiovascular DNA Bank »
Some rare diseases are caused by a single change in one gene while other common diseases like obesity, coronary artery disease, and diabetes may be caused by several genes working together. The Complex Genetics Initiative hopes to learn about the genetic causes of these diseases and how different people respond to medications and treatments. The Genetics of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Phenotypes Study seeks to identify genes involved in complex cardiovascular disorders by developing a DNA bank. Over the next five years 100,000 adult volunteers seeking clinical care at the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) will be invited to join the study.

About the Complex Genetics Initiative »

Image Courtesy: University of Louisville Could Genetics Improve Warfarin Dosing?
New Research Says Yes - Penn to serve as the Clinical Trial Coordinating Center

One of the trickiest issues in prescribing medicine is how to quickly optimize each patient’s dosage of the common blood-thinning drug warfarin. New research shows DNA tests can help predict the right dose of the popular blood thinner, but whether such personalized medicine yields concrete benefits remains to be determined. "With growing evidence on how certain genes affect the way individual patients respond to warfarin, we are now ready to move forward with a major clinical trial to test these strategies," said NHLBI Director Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel. The multisite Clarification of Optimal Anticoagulation through Genetics (COAG) trial is coordinated by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The trial’s primary investigators are Penn researchers Stephen Kimmel, M.D., and Jonas Ellenberg, Ph.D.

About the COAG Network »

» Top

Penn’s NHLBI Recovery Awards
( Sept. 2009 / .xls )

Research Spotlight…

Penn Scientists Receive $16.7M NHLBI Award for Stem Cell Research


October 7, 2009

Two Penn researchers, along with scientists from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, have been awarded $16.7 million from the National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NHLBI) for collaborative stem cell research projects. This funding represents part of a larger $170 million effort to create the NHLBI Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium which will bring together researchers from the heart, lung, blood, and technology research fields. The consortium assembles nine research hubs with multidisciplinary teams of principal investigators to focus on progenitor cell biology.

Learn More »