Approved Research

Genetic Epidemiology to Inform Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Lay summary

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death across the world. There are many different medications available to lower the chances of getting heart disease in the first place and of slowing the progression of heart disease. Bringing an idea for a medication to an actual, approved medication takes up to 15 years. Speeding up this process would be extremely impactful for people with a high chance of getting heart disease and those who already have heart disease.

The instructions for all parts of your body are written into your genetic code. Every person has two copies of each gene - one from the biological mother and one from the biological father. Studying the genetic code may reveal new information about the causes of heart disease and different ways to prevent and treat heart disease. If we know what genes control a harmful protein, we could use that information to develop new medicines. We could also use information about genes to predict whether a medication could have side effects. This project is focused on using genetic information to help develop safe and effective medications for heart disease.