Cardiovascular Biology
The circulatory system is an organ system that moves substances to and away from cells. The main components of this system include the heart, the blood and the blood vessels. Cardiovascular biology is the study of the different components of the circulatory system. Children's Research Institute's Cardiovascular Biology Pediatric Program of Excellence brings together basic and translational biologists with one common goal: translating discoveries in cardiovascular science and technology into innovative strategies for the cure and treatment of pediatric vascular disease.
Examples of cardiovascular research underway at Children's Research Institute include:
- Studies identifying the cause of hemangiomas, a benign tumor of the blood vessels that affects 10 percent of newborns. The first prospective randomized multi-center phase II clinical trial is scheduled to begin in January 2008 for infantile hemangiomas. Ongoing studies in collaboration with genomic pediatrics also will identify the genetic basis of hemangiomas.
- Studies involving research in congenital cardiomyopathy, a rare form of congenital heart disease. This research is focused on the ability of bone marrow populations to rescue heart function in models of congenital cardiomyopathy.
- Studies of the integrity of the blood vessel wall in sickle cell disease, which contributes to occlusion of blood vessels and painful "crises" and stroke in children with sickle cell disease. These studies focus on the role of abnormalities of the nitric oxide pathway, an important regulator of blood vessel relaxation.
- Studies identifying the genetic risk factors of congenital heart disease. Ongoing research also is focused on developing a non-invasive approach using maternal serum to identify fetal genetic abnormalities with associated cardiac malformations.
- Studies on the basic mechanisms of vascular injury and disease. Researchers investigate the mechanisms by which apo A-I mimetics, designed to improve high-density lipoprotein function, decreases inflammation and recovers vascular function. Such research in preventing vascular inflammation, permeability and developing new therapeutics for repairing congenital heart defects is targeted to improve children's health.
- An NIH-funded research center of excellence for studies on genetic abnormalities in children with bleeding disorders.
- A developmental vascular biology program that investigates the basic mechanisms of blood vessel formation in developing zebrafish embryos. Zebrafish studies are primarily embryonic in nature and thus directly contribute to child development. Understanding the basic mechanisms of vessel formation will generate new treatments for pediatric conditions affected by deregulated vessel growth, such as hemangiomas and solid tumors. Additionally, tools for performing high throughput drug screens in zebrafish are being developed which will identify targets and potential drug leads for treating pediatric vascular conditions.
Several diseases that impact children often are associated with one or more components of the cardiovascular system. Pediatric cardiovascular diseases include congenital structural defects of the heart, genetic abnormalities of heart function, infantile hemangiomas, sickle cell disease and cancer. This area of research is important for children's health because a disease such as congenital heart is one of the most common severe human birth defects, occurring in approximately 1 in 100 live births. Therefore, studying and identifying the system components of the circulatory system individually and in an integrated fashion benefits children's heath.
Programs
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