Cardiovascular Research Institute

The Cardiovascular Research Institute, a subunit of the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine within the New Jersey Medical School / UMDNJ, is uncovering the causes of, and developing new treatments for, cardiovascular disease and heart failure.  Institute faculty is composed of a multidisciplinary team of biomedical scientists and physicians with a substantial integration of their research programs, ranging from physiology to molecular biology, and from biochemistry to pathology. By applying advanced technologies in cellular and molecular biology, molecular genetics, genomics, and proteomics, the Institute focuses on identifying specific proteins and molecular pathways responsible for cardiac disease, and applies this knowledge to the development of novel approaches in cardiac disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management.  This integrative approach to biomedical research has led to major discoveries which keep New Jersey Medical School on the cutting edge of cardiovascular research, and has led to the Institute achieving one of the highest peer reviewed funding rates of any cardiovascular research program in the United States.

The Institute was established, and is directed, by Dr. Stephen Vatner, Chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine. Dr. Vatner has made numerous contributions to the understanding of cardiovascular mechanisms at the molecular level, particularly those regulating adrenergic neural control, exercise and inotropic state. As an integrative physiologist, he has been a pioneer in delineating how normal physiologic controls that go astray can contribute to diseases such as myocardial ischemia, heart failure and reperfusion injury.  Dr. Junichi Sadoshima, the Institute's Associate Director, has made significant contributions to understanding the role played by signal transduction pathways and apoptosis in cardiovascular disease.

For additional information regarding the Cardiovascular Research Institute, contact the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine at 973-972-4414.