Laboratory Research
Basic research: The foundation of tomorrow's care and cures
What's going on at the microscopic level in the heart and blood vessels? What happens when something goes wrong? What factors make one person vulnerable to disease and protect another?
These questions, and more, drive the work of our laboratory researchers. They study the genes, proteins and chemical signals that regulate the function of the cardiovascular system, and try to understand how they affect, or are affected by, the disease process. They also collaborate with our clinicians, to translate their findings into clinical trials and, eventually, into everyday practice.
The CVC's basic researchers come from many different specialties. Some are surgeons, cardiologists, radiologists and anesthesiologists who split their time between the world of the lab and the world of the hospital and clinic. Others are cell and molecular biologists, tissue engineers, pathologists, geneticists, physiologists and veterinarians who devote themselves to teasing out clues to the cause of disease and its potential treatment.
To learn more about specific recent research findings, visit our News page. And if you'd like to help our basic researchers accelerate the pace of their discovery, visit our Make a Gift page.
