Support for Research - Cardiovascular Research Institute

Cardiovascular Research Institute

healing for the heart

Despite remarkable progress, cardiovascular diseases remain the number one cause of disability and death in the United States. These diseases account for 950,000 deaths a year—twice that from cancer, 10 times that from accidents, and 25 times the number of deaths from AIDS. And the frequency of cardiovascular disease will only increase as our population ages.

The mission of UCSF's Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) is to perform pacesetting research to gain insights into cardiovascular biology and disease and to train future leaders in these fields. Numerous opportunities for innovation exist in basic science, clinical research, and patient care—and there is no better place than UCSF to explore these opportunities. The CVRI has strong ties to both basic science and clinical departments and a long history of fostering multidisciplinary programs that have illuminated basic biological and disease mechanisms and led to new therapies.

UCSF now has the chance to design a new home for its world-class programs integrating basic science and clinical research—from the ground up. The planned 135,000 assignable square foot CVRI facility at UCSF Mission Bay will enhance the programs already in place, providing a focused effort that produces:

New insights into basic cardiovascular biology and disease mechanisms;
Novel genetic, biochemical, and imaging markers of risk for cardiovascular diseases and new diagnostic approaches;
New strategies and modalities for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and improved patient care; and
Training for future leaders in cardiovascular biology and medicine.

Private support is needed to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery at the CVRI. Research productivity can be enhanced by state-of-the-art facilities such as the proposed new Mission Bay building, which is being designed to encourage cross-disciplinary and collaborative research approaches. In addition, laboratories at Moffitt Hospital for airway research and cardiac electrophysiology must be modernized. Support is also needed to recruit talented new faculty, to support training, and to provide resources to explore promising research opportunities too innovative for conventional funding.

To support the basic and translational research programs of the CVRI, contact Kevin McAteer at 415-476-3627 or kmcateer@support.ucsf.edu.