Inaugural Cardiovascular Medicine Translational Research Award Announces First Recipients

The Section of Cardiovascular Medicine recently established the Michaele and James Imbrogno Yale Cardiovascular Medicine Translational Research Award (TRA) to promote cardiovascular research that bridges molecular science, patient-oriented studies, and clinical cardiovascular disease.

The TRA program announced its first two disease-oriented translational science team award recipients. Co-principal investigators Carlos Davila, MD, assistant professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), and Stephanie Thorn, PhD, MSc, assistant professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), will lead the project entitled, “Effects of Primary Unloading on Left Ventricular Myocardial Blood Flow and Hemodynamics During Acute Coronary Occlusion.” Co-principal Investigators Filipe Moura, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), and Elissa Altin, MD, associate professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), will lead the project entitled, “Mechanistic Investigation of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist-induced Functional Improvement in Polyvascular Disease.”

“This new grant program will help our faculty connect discoveries in the basic science lab to clinical medicine that directly impacts our patients’ lives,” says Eric Velazquez, MD, Robert W. Berliner Professor of Medicine (cardiovascular medicine) and chief of Yale Cardiovascular Medicine. “We are grateful to the Imbrogno family for their generosity and support of this important research, and to our esteemed colleague, Dr. Lawrence Cohen, Ebenezer K. Hunt Emeritus Professor of Medicine, for connecting us to the Imbrogno family.”

The TRA provides up to $100,000 in seed funding for a 12 to 24-month disease-focused translational research project to facilitate the generation of preliminary data and evidence of collaboration. The award is intended to help the research teams build a foundation to support larger research projects. To be eligible for the first round of funding, projects were required to focus on ischemic/atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or heart failure.

“Translational science is often underfunded and can be difficult to operationalize,” says Jeffrey Bender, MD, Robert I. Levy Professor of Medicine (cardiovascular medicine) and professor of immunobiology. “To achieve translational research success across the organization, interest and focus must be widespread throughout our entire broad faculty spectrum. This work doesn’t just materialize; it must be actively driven forward. This is the philosophical ethos for our section.”

One of the first grants from the TRA program will support a research project examining how GLP-1–based medications affect individuals with atherosclerotic arterial disease, initially focusing on peripheral artery disease patients, in whom blood flow to the arms and legs is reduced due to narrowed arteries.

“Despite the impressive benefits GLP-1s have been shown to offer, it is still unclear how exactly these medications protect the cardiovascular system,” says Moura, co-principal investigator (PI) of the project. “Our research aims to help us better understand how GLP-1 drugs may enhance vascular health throughout the body—not only in the heart but also in the legs.”

The study will use advanced imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound, to track changes in blood flow and fat content in both the heart and leg muscles. The researchers will examine how these changes track with improvements in patients’ ability to exercise following GLP-1 therapy.

“Ultimately, we hope this work leads to more targeted strategies to prevent cardiovascular complications in those at the highest risk,” says Altin, the project's co-PI.

The team also includes Al Sinusas, MD, professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine); Nina Stachenfeld, senior research scientist (obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences), and Alaa Alashi, MD, clinical fellow (cardiovascular medicine).

The TRA program will also support research assessing new strategies for improving heart recovery after a heart attack.

“When a major coronary artery is blocked, restoring blood flow quickly is critical — but the heart muscle often remains injured despite reopening the artery,” says Davila, co-PI of the project. “Our research explores whether ‘unloading' the heart with a mechanical pump before restoring blood flow can improve circulation within the heart muscle and limit damage.”

The project team, which has expertise in translational imaging and percutaneous acute mechanical circulatory support, will study how early ventricular unloading alters myocardial blood flow, pressure, and recovery.

“Our goal is to generate mechanistic insights that could guide future strategies to protect the heart during high-risk heart attacks and cardiogenic shock,” says Thorn, co-PI for the project.

The project team also includes Omar El-Charif, MD, clinical fellow (cardiovascular disease), and Fatema Zohora, MD, clinical fellow (cardiovascular disease).

Cardiovascular Medicine, one of 10 sections in the Yale Department of Internal Medicine, is dedicated to improving cardiovascular health by advancing groundbreaking research, training the next generation of experts in cardiology, and delivering world-class patient care to people with a range of cardiovascular issues. To learn more, visit Cardiovascular Medicine.