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Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science

Edward Lakatta, M.D., Chief

The LCS was created in 1985 as an outgrowth of a small (two-person) Cardiovascular Section within the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LCI).
The overall goals of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Sciences are: (1) to identify age associated changes that occur within the cardiovascular system and to determine the mechanisms for these changes; (2) to determine how aging of the heart and vasculature interacts with chronic disease states to enhance the risk for CV diseases in older persons; (3) to study basic mechanisms of excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac myocytes and automaticity in pacemaker cells, and how these are modulated by surface receptor signaling pathways, and to characterize how they become altered as age advances; (4) to elucidate mechanisms that govern cardiac and vascular cell survival; (5) to determine mechanisms that govern neuro-hormonal aspects of hypertension; and (6) to establish the potentials and limitations of novel therapeutic approaches such as changes in lifestyle, novel pharmacologic agents or gene therapies to delay or ameliorate the effects of aging or cardiovascular disease in older persons.
In meeting these objectives, the LCS has successfully integrated research from humans to molecules. Human observational studies are used primarily to raise mechanistic hypotheses that are then tested in cells, tissue, and animal-models. Translational work takes the findings from these paradigms and moves them into the development and testing of interventions, occasionally resulting in clinical trials. In short, the human studies form the basis of the mechanistic work in animal models of human physiology and disease.

Portfolio/Research Areas

  • Human Vascular Studies
  • Human Cardiac Studies
  • Arterial Studies in Animal Models
  • Cardiac Studies in Animal Models

Key Paper

Ahmet I, Tae HJ, Lakatta EG, Talan M. Long-term low dose dietary resveratrol supplement reduces cardiovascular structural and functional deterioration in chronic heart failure in rats. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2017 Mar;95(3):268-274. doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2016-0512. Epub 2016 Dec 17. PMID: 28134561 

Recent Publications at PubMed

Publications by Edward Lakatta, M.D. at PubMed

Units/Sections

Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science Staff

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