Although considerable progress has been made in elucidating mechanisms underlying the development, progression, and end-organ consequences of cardiac disease, the ability to translate this information into useful diagnostic, preventive, and treatment modalities has been limited. It is our belief that basic research in molecular and cellular cardiology will ultimately lead to new approaches in treating and preventing cardiovascular disease. The NIH Training Grant in Molecular and Cellular Cardiology is designed to develop a cadre of cardiovascular scientists, skilled in molecular and cellular biology and committed to long-term careers in basic cardiovascular investigation. These investigators will be in a unique position to take advantage of the most modern molecular approaches and to lead academic cardiology into new frontiers in the understanding of the cardiovascular system and the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Fellows participating in the Training Grant in Molecular and Cellular Cardiology have been involved in major research efforts in the areas of atherosclerosis and vessel wall biology, cardiac excitation, cell signaling, developmental biology, gene transfer, heart failure and myocardial biology, ion channels, lipoproteins, thrombosis, and transplant biology. In addition to laboratory work, fellows participate in the graduate school Core Curriculum (comprised of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Developmental Biology) and participate in journal clubs and seminars offered by the Graduate School. Typically, fellows present the results of their work at major meetings, including the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, FASEB, Keystone Conferences, and Gordon Conferences. Fellows participating in this program have also had an extraordinary success rate in obtaining NIH and foundation funding to continue their research efforts as members of the faculty of the Cardiovascular Institute.

The focal point of the Training Grant in Molecular and Cellular Cardiology is the Cardiovascular Research Program (CVRP), a collaboration between the Department of Medicine and the Cardiovascular Institute. The CVRP comprises 12,000 square feet of laboratory space devoted to the application of molecular and cellular approaches to research in the areas of vascular biology, molecular biology, and lipoproteins. In support of the CVRP are extensive core facilities for tissue culture, the development and care of genetically-engineered mice, protein sequencing and peptide synthesis, confocal and electron microscopy, animal surgery and physiology, cellular electrophysiology, flow cytometry, histopathology and morphometry.