Cardiovascular Injury and Repair Research Facility

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over the past 25 years, the Departments of Physiology and Internal Medicine (Division of Cardiology) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCD) have maintained a highly productive research program in cardiovascular injury and repair. An established core group of outstanding investigators conduct more than $2.5 million annually of NIH-funded research; faculty collaborating with this team conduct an additional $2.2 million. This proposal requests funds to renovate 13,842 sq ft on the 3rd floor of Sanger Hall for the Cardiovascular Injury and Repair Research Facility. The proposed facility will serve as a magnet to recruit research faculty to the Department of Physiology, which has 4 openings; the Vice President for Research has committed up to $1.6 million toward the start-up packages to be offered. The core research team will develop innovative methods of effectively repairing damaged and diseased cardiac tissue at a cellular, genetic, and molecular level. They seek to learn how endogenous factors can protect and repair the heart and how damaged tissue can be successfully replaced with engineered substitutes. Specifically, they will:  identify molecular and genetic mechanisms for triggering cardioprotective preconditioning;  develop adult cardiac stem cell therapeutic approaches to treating cardiovascular injury;  identify geometric and hemodynamic factors that determine oxygen exchange in striated muscle;  develop a striated muscle prosthesis for the reconstruction of dysfunctional or missing cardiac tissue;  identify molecular mechanisms for ion channel function in normal heart, ion channel remodeling by pathological conditions, and ion channel modulation by pharmacological agents in diseased heart.