The C. Kwon Lab studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing heart generation and regeneration. The limited regenerative capacity of the heart is a major factor in morbidity and mortality rates: Heart malformation is the most frequent form of human birth defects, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiovascular progenitor cells hold tremendous therapeutic potential due to their unique ability to expand and differentiate into various heart cell types. Our laboratory seeks to understand the fundamental biology and regenerative potential of multi-potent cardiac progenitor cells – building blocks used to form the heart during fetal development — by deciphering the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control their induction, maintenance, and differentiation. We are also interested in elucidating the maturation event of heart muscle cells, an essential process to generate adult cardiomyocytes, which occurs after terminal differentiation of the progenitor cells. We believe this knowledge will contribute to our understanding of congenital and adult heart disease and be instrumental for stem cell-based heart regeneration. We have developed several novel approaches to deconstruct the mechanisms, including the use of animal models and pluripotent stem cell systems. We expect this knowledge will help us better understand heart disease and will be instrumental for stem-cell-based disease modeling and interventions for of heart repair. Dr. Chulan Kwon is an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University Heart and Vascular Institute.

Research in the Cheryl Dennison Lab aims to improve cardiovascular care for high-risk groups through multidisciplinary and health information technology-based methods. Our studies focus on reducing system and provider obstacles to implementing cardiovascular guidelines in various health care environments. Additional research interests include chronic illness management, quality of care, interdisciplinary teamwork and provider behavior.

Research in the Gail Daumit Lab is devoted to improving overall health and decreasing premature mortality for people with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. We have conducted observational studies to determine and convey the burden of physical health problems in this vulnerable population, and are currently leading a randomized trial funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to test a comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction program in people with serious mental illness.

Research conducted in the Dhananjay Vaidya Lab focuses on the prevention of heart disease, with special emphasis on cardiometabolic risk factors, genetics in high-risk families, cardiovascular epidemiology, statistics and vascular biology. We also provide consultation on study design as well as plan and oversee data analyses for projects supported by the Center for Child and Community Health Research.

The Daniel Nyhan Lab studies vascular changes that accompany aging to determine the underlying causes and find ways to reverse the process. One goal of our research is to identify the factors that cause vascular stiffness. Our hope is that our work in vascular biology will lead to new ways to improve vascular compliance and thereby improve cardiovascular function and perioperative risk.

The David Graham Lab studies the consequences of HIV interactions with the immune system, the resulting pathogenesis and how to sabotage these interactions. We apply advanced technologies like mass spectrometry to dissect processes at the molecular level. We are also actively involved in cardiovascular research and studies the ways proteins are organized into functional units in different cell types of the heart. Major projects in our lab are organized into three major areas: (1) H/SIV pathogenesis and neuropathogenesis, (2) Cardiovascular disease, and (3) High technology development

The Elizabeth Selvin Lab examines the intersection of epidemiology, clinical policy and public health policy. One of our key goals is to use the findings of epidemiologic research to inform the screening, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. Much of our work looks at biomarkers and diagnostics related to diabetes and diabetes complications. Our findings — linking hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to diabetic complications and identifying the role of A1c in diabetes diagnosis — have influenced clinical practice guidelines.

Research in the Eliseo Guallar Lab focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. We have a special interest in the roles played by mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium in cardiovascular disease development. Our methodological interests include determining threshold effects in epidemiological studies and applying statistical methods to epidemiological problem-solving.

Investigators in the Lakshmi Santhanam Lab examine the fundamental mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease. They are particularly interested in better understanding how nitric oxide-mediated S-nitrosylation (a post-translational protein modification) impacts protein function and trafficking in the vasculature as well as how this relationship influences matrix remodeling and vascular stiffening.

Research in the Lisa Yanek Lab focuses on cardiovascular disease in families and risk factor modification. Recently, we conducted a study to determine the association of lean versus fat mass with fitness in healthy, overweight and obese African Americans from families with early-onset coronary disease.