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Source: Lauren Hammit
415-476-2557
29 April 2008
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Science symposium highlights excitement of cardiovascular research
WHAT:
UCSF is hosting a special science symposium that will highlight 50 years of cardiovascular research and the direction it will take in the future. Titled, “Cardiovascular Research: Celebrating the Past and Charting the Future,” the symposium will include scientists from the forefront of research in genetic risk profiling, organ and vascular development, and cardiovascular implications of neonatal care.
The symposium celebrates the 50th anniversary of the UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI). It will be followed by groundbreaking ceremonies on the UCSF Mission Bay Campus for a new CVRI building that will feature space for both cutting-edge research and clinical care. Media are invited to attend all events.
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 7 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
WHO:
Shaun R. Coughlin, MD, PhD, director of the UCSF CVRI, will moderate the program. Topics and speakers are:
• Genes for Cardiovascular Risk: From Rare Outliers to the General Population – Richard P. Lifton, MD, PhD, chair, Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine.
• Going to the Extremes to Identify Genetic Variations Conferring Cardiovascular Risk – Helen H. Hobbs, MD, investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center.
• A Transcriptional Code for Vascular Development – Brian L. Black, PhD, CVRI associate director and professor in biochemistry and biophysics, UCSF.
• The Molecular Basis of Cell Polarity and Motility – Orion D. Weiner, PhD, assistant professor, biochemistry and biophysics, UCSF.
• CVRI: the Early Years and Beyond – Richard J. Havel, MD, professor emeritus of medicine and former director of CVRI, UCSF.
• Babies, Bubbles and Biology: 30 Years of Translational Research – John A. Clements, MD, Julius H. Comroe, Jr. Professor of Pulmonary Biology, UCSF. • Gene Networks that Control Heart Development and Disease – Eric N. Olson, PhD, Annie and Willie Nelson Professor in Stem Cell Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center.
• PPARs: Running around Obesity – Ronald M. Evans, PhD, professor, The Salk Institute and investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute. WHERE: The William J. Rutter Center, UCSF Mission Bay campus 1675 Owens St., San Francisco
INTERVIEW AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES: Speakers will be available for interviews.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Hammit, UCSF News Office, 415-476-2557.
BACKGROUND:
For 50 years, scientists at the UCSF CVRI have worked together across disciplines to attack cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. Their partnerships have led to major advances in understanding the disease and in medical care, aiding everyone from infants with respiratory problems to adults with arrhythmia (alterations in heart rhythms).
CVRI’s new building at UCSF Mission Bay will provide state-of-the-art laboratories for current scientists and allow for the recruitment of 25 additional investigators. In addition to research, it will house an outpatient clinic for patients with cardiovascular disease. The building is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2011.
ABOUT UCSF:
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.
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