Center for Vascular and Heart Research
About the Center for Vascular and Heart Research
The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Vascular and Heart Research serves as a nexus for cardiovascular research teams exploring basic research questions about the heart. With heart disease the nation’s leading killer, these teams are working to understand how the heart develops, how it becomes damaged, and, ultimately, how it can be repaired. They are also mapping out fundamental properties of the heart, such as how it conducts electricity. Together, they are delving into new strategies for healing the heart.
The center's Vascular and Heart Symposium brings together experts in cardiovascular fields from across the Mid-Atlantic region and fosters interdisciplinary projects in vascular and cardiac studies to encourage functional comparisons and forge new collaborations.
Center Contacts
- Center for Vascular and Heart Research Interim Director: Steven Poelzing, Ph.D.
- Center for Vascular and Heart Research Administrative Coordinators: Linda Collins and Shelby Fisher
- Arrhythmia: Irregular heart beat
- Acute Ischemia: Heart attack
- Cardiac Conduction: Heart beats
- Cardiomyopathy: Thickened heart tissue
- Infection: How viruses affect cellular function and signaling in the heart
- Ephaptic Coupling: Electrical channels that connect heart muscle cells across a vat of fluid
- Gap Junctional Coupling: Signaling channels that structurally connect two cells
- Sudden Cardiac Death: When cardiac conduction fails
- Vascular Microbiology: How blood vessels grow and respond to injury
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Chappell Lab , homeThe Chappell Lab studies how the blood vasculature develops during early organ formation and during certain diseases such as tumor progression and neurological disorders.
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Gourdie Lab , homeThe Gourdie Lab studies subunit proteins called connexins, which are located in gap junctions that enable direct communication between cells.
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Johnstone Lab , homeThe Johnstone Lab focuses on understanding how healthy blood vessels are altered in disease and defining effective pathways to therapeutically target vascular disease.
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Mishra Lab , homeThe Mishra Lab studies the molecular signaling perturbations associated with metabolic syndrome.
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Poelzing Lab , homeThe Poelzing Lab studies the electrical activity of the heart through cardiac myocytes and proteins and how abnormalities are linked to sudden cardiac death.
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Sassi Lab , homeThe Sassi Lab focuses on studying the role of non-coding RNAs, coding RNAs and cyclic nucleotides pathways in cardiac health and disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis.
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Smyth Lab , homeThe Smyth Laboratory studies cardiomyopathy at a subcellular level, searching for potential targets for therapeutic interventions to help restore normal cardiac function to diseased hearts.
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Warren Lab , homeThe Warren Lab studies the mechanisms underlying metabolic reprogramming in the failing heart.
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What biomedical discoveries can be made in three months? , article Date: Sep 08, 2026 - -
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Discovery and curiosity bring heart science, patient care together , article Date: Sep 01, 2026 - -
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Oral therapy shows potential to protect healthy tissue from radiation , article Date: Aug 21, 2026 -
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Article ItemGraduate student pursues potential therapy for deadly lung disease , article
An American Heart Association fellowship recognizes Dilruba Yeasmen’s research into an essential signal control that has the potential to inhibit lung scarring.
Date: Jun 29, 2026 - -
Article ItemEarly career scientist earns national fellowship to fight heart disease , article
A Myocarditis Foundation award supports Chelsea Phillips’ research on cardiac infection and arrhythmia at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
Date: Jun 17, 2026 - -
Article ItemBlocking two proteins reverses lung scarring in preclinical study , article
Researchers identified a new therapeutic strategy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, that could move beyond delaying the disease to reversing lung scarring.
Date: Apr 30, 2026 - -
Article ItemNew lab removes barrier between research and patient care , article
The university marked a step forward in biomedical innovation in Southwest Virginia with the opening of a clean room facility to produce clinical-grade therapies under federally regulated standards.
Date: Apr 10, 2026 - -
Article ItemRare Disease Day: Virginia Tech researchers tackle uncommon conditions , article
From gene mutations to novel therapies, scientists are translating discoveries into meaningful progress for often overlooked patients.
Date: Feb 25, 2026 - -
Article ItemInnovation at a crossroads: Virginia Tech scientist calls for balance between research oversight and commercialization , article
As federal policymakers weigh potential changes to how biomedical research is funded and regulated in the United States, Robert Gourdie of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC highlights the importance of preserving the nation’s ability to turn discovery into life saving therapies.
Date: Feb 05, 2026 - -
Article ItemImproving cardiac treatments and ‘patient quality of life’ , article
With support from a Ray A. Gaskins graduate fellowship, Md Ruhul Amin is exploring the therapeutic potential of milk-derived exosomes in treating heart attacks and tissue damage.
Date: Feb 03, 2026 - -
Article ItemWhy coronary arteries struggle to heal after surgery , article
A new Virginia Tech study by Scott Johnstone of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC identified a target for new therapies to improve recovery and reduce complications after stent procedures and bypass surgeries.
Date: Nov 14, 2025 - -
Article ItemBiomedical innovator to open Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture series in Roanoke , article
Robert Gourdie, who leads programs at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and who co-founded biotech companies in Virginia and South Carolina, will help mark the research institute’s 15th anniversary in Roanoke with insights from his groundbreaking research on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Date: Sep 11, 2025 - -
Article ItemSummer research fellows showcase studies at annual symposium , article
Students in the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC’s neuroSURF and cardioSURF programs, as well as students from other summer fellowships, shared posters and competed for prizes at the symposium.
Date: Aug 25, 2025 - -
Article ItemResearchers identify why some heart rhythm drugs heighten risks when sodium levels drop , article
New research explains how low levels of the electrolyte sodium in the blood can disrupt the timing of the heartbeat in patients taking widely used rhythm-control medications such as flecainide.
Date: Jul 14, 2025 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers find promise in a new peptide drug to combat a deadly brain cancer , article
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists were able to slow glioblastoma progression in lab and animal studies by targeting treatment-resistant cancer cells.
Date: May 30, 2025 - -
Article ItemChanges in the aging heart may lessen the risk of irregular heartbeats , article
Researchers have discovered that microscopic structural changes in the aging heart may reduce the risk of irregular heartbeats.
Date: May 20, 2025 - -
Article Item‘Milestone’ discovery may unlock the true biomedical might of exosomes , article
Researchers identified a freeze-drying process to produce, warehouse, and deliver a wound-healing medicine for cancer patients, military troops, and industrial workers exposed to radiation.
Date: Apr 15, 2025 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researcher earns fellowship to explore how obesity increases the risk for heart disease , article
Mark Renton, a postdoctoral associate with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, will use the American Heart Association fellowship to investigate how the pannexin-1 protein regulates blood flow in an obesity-induced heart condition.
Date: Mar 20, 2025 - -
Article Item'Pocket Science' podcast: What makes a heart stop? , article
A single heartbeat requires a perfectly orchestrated symphony of events. Cardiovascular scientist Steve Poelzing explains how the heart beats, what's happening when it doesn't, and how his research is identifying factors that could help predict a deadly event.
Date: Feb 19, 2025 - -
Article ItemFellowship helps doctoral student get to the heart of cardiac disease , article
Abigail Doku will use a Ray A. Gaskins graduate fellowship to continue her doctoral research into heart failure, the world’s leading cause of death, at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
Date: Jan 02, 2025 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute spinoff company translates science into peptide drugs targeting cancer stem cells , article
Bioentrepreneur Samy Lamouille recently joined a Johnson & Johnson life science and health care incubator, opening new avenues for networking and development.
Date: Nov 18, 2024 - -
Article ItemTranslational biology, medicine, and health student pursues science close to home with new grant , article
Mason Wheeler, a doctoral candidate in the Pfleger Lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, earned a prestigious Ruth Kirschstein Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Date: Oct 31, 2024 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech cardiovascular scientist identifies potential new treatment for failing hearts , article
In a new study in mice, Junco Warren, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, offers findings that show a key protein positively impacted both muscle weakness and cellular energy production in the heart, pointing to a potential therapy for systolic heart failure.
Date: Oct 28, 2024 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute scientist to co-chair international forum on gap junctions , article
Co-chairs James Smyth and Silvia Penuela are bringing scientists from across the globe to Arlington to share findings in a rapidly developing field whose insights point to novel therapeutic opportunities in a wide range of disorders and complex diseases.
Date: May 24, 2024 - -
Article ItemNIH award funds Virginia Tech scientist’s study of link between diet, diabetes, and heart disease , article
Jessica Pfleger, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, is exploring the role of a certain protein in heart cells becoming insulin resistant, doubling the risk of heart disease and death in Type 2 diabetes.
Date: May 16, 2024 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and Virginia Tech shine as innovations receive TechNite acclaim , article
The Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council’s TechNite awards turned a spotlight on translational research taking place at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and throughout the region.
Date: May 15, 2024 - -
Article ItemSen. Mark Warner convenes biotech leaders in Roanoke and New River valleys , article
Key university and industry players gathered at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC to discuss research, economic development, and a vision for Virginia’s proposed research triangle.
Date: Mar 28, 2024 - -
Article ItemTwo Fralin Biomedical Research Institute postdoctoral associates awarded American Heart Association fellowships , article
The awards will help Karthi Sreedevi and Samar Antar advance their academic careers while conducting research related to cardiovascular disease.
Date: Mar 19, 2024 - -
Article ItemUnveiling a hidden threat: Researchers show viral infections pose early heart risks , article
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists challenge traditional assumptions and open a new window to help people with cardiac infections.
Date: Mar 07, 2024 - -
Article ItemNational Institutes of Health award propels translational biology, medicine, and health student on path to discovery , article
Meghan Sedovy, a doctoral candidate and graduate research assistant in the Johnstone Lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award to further her study of wound healing in arteries after heart surgery.
Date: Jan 23, 2024 - -
Article ItemResearchers find that using patients’ own blood rather than saline helps preserve veins in coronary bypass grafts , article
A Fralin Biomedical Research Institute cardiovascular scientist and a Carilion Clinic surgeon team up for a clinical trial with the potential to improve health outcomes.
Date: Jan 16, 2024 - -
Article ItemSeeking a better understanding of how genetic mutations lead to developmental disorders , article
A new Fralin Biomedical Research Institute award for postdoctoral scholars will help Chelsea Phillips advance research related to cellular junctions in heart cells.
Date: Nov 16, 2023 - -
Article ItemDigging for data: Researcher seeks new therapeutic interventions for progressive, chronic lung disease , article
A new Postdoctoral Excellence Award from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC will help fuel Samar Antar’s research.
Date: Oct 26, 2023 - -
Article Item‘The real deal’: Students thrive and grow in summer hands-on research experiences , article
This was the seventh summer of programs aimed at engaging and training the next generation of scientists. This year, 34 students from colleges in Virginia, North Carolina, and as far away as California, and from five area high schools, participated in summer undergraduate research fellowship programs at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
Date: Sep 20, 2023 - -
Article ItemFundamental understanding of a molecule‘s normal function could inform treatments for a variety of disorders , article
A team of investigators in John Chappell’s lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC made a discovery that could inform new therapies.
Date: Aug 24, 2023 - -
Article ItemLecture series features experts in addiction research, cardiovascular science, child development, metabolic disease , article
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute launches the 12th season of the Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series on Sept. 8.
Date: Aug 24, 2023 - -
Article ItemResearchers find institutions with strong engineering operations are more efficient in producing patents , article
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine alumnus and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute inventor create a tool to analyze patenting efficiency as a metric for moving health discoveries from lab bench to patient bedside.
Date: Aug 17, 2023 - -
Article ItemDoctoral student’s goal is to better understand the abrupt changes taking place in the brain’s blood vessels , article
A biomedical scholar, physician, and mother of three wins a prestigious award to support her stroke research.
Date: Jun 27, 2023 - -
Article ItemInternational trainees selected for inaugural postdoctoral scholar program , article
Karthi Sreedevi and Xuansong Mao, postdoctoral associates at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, recently joined the new program created to help young professionals successfully launch their careers. They will receive additional training and support through the Research and Innovation Postdoctoral Scholars program.
Date: Apr 26, 2023 - -
Article ItemRobert Gourdie named senior member of the National Academy of Inventors , article
For the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC professor, thinking about important questions leads to innovations that can improve lives.
Date: Feb 14, 2023 - -
Article ItemAmerican Heart Association grant will support undergraduates interested in pursuing cardiovascular research , article
Select students will tackle cardiovascular research projects under the mentorship of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists. Applications are due Feb. 14.
Date: Jan 04, 2023 - -
Article ItemCardiovascular scientists to explore viral infection that can lead to sudden death , article
James Smyth, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has been awarded a five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to discover why viruses that normally infect our lungs can turn deadly when they infect the heart.
Date: Nov 18, 2022 - -
Article ItemTranslational Biology, Medicine, and Health graduate student earns NIH support to explore promising heart finding , article
Zach Williams has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award program to pursue study of a synthetic molecule's potential as a therapeutic for heart arrythmias and sudden cardiac death.
Date: Oct 10, 2022 - -
Article Item11th season of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series launches Sept. 16 , article
The full slate features 29 experts sharing leading discoveries in cardiovascular science, cancer research, neuroscience, biomedical imaging, addiction, and health behaviors.
Date: Sep 12, 2022 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Center for Vascular and Heart Research holds retreat to catalyze collaboration , article
The daylong retreat at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center and on the research institute campus included presentations by research teams about their lab’s key techniques, competencies, and equipment.
Date: Jul 21, 2022 - -
Article ItemScientists detect deadly arrhythmia trifecta: Salt, swelling, and leaky sodium channels , article
Cardiovascular researchers led by Steven Poelzing at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have published a new study describing how deadly arrhythmias arise from elevated sodium levels, heart tissue irritation and swelling, and sodium channel abnormalities associated with Long QT syndrome.
Date: May 24, 2022 - -
Article ItemNew data revealed about the origin of the circulatory system during development , article
Researchers are closer to understanding the earliest beginnings of the circulatory system during embryonic development. The discovery could lead to ways to repair damage in the human body after a stroke or heart attack.
Date: May 17, 2022 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech celebrates its inventors , article
The Virginia Tech inventions highlighted span a wide array of technology areas, including those related to vaccine development, cyber solutions, communications and advanced manufacturing technologies, and antimicrobial films that suppress the transmission of deadly diseases.
Date: Apr 19, 2022 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC researcher is Virginia Tech’s first NIH Outstanding Investigator Award recipient , article
Robert Gourdie, the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund Eminent Scholar in Heart Reparative Medicine Research and director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Vascular and Heart Research, received a $6.4 million R35 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Date: Mar 03, 2022 - -
Article ItemRare disease research gives families hope, ‘vital’ to advancing medicine , article
Rare diseases afflict 300 million people worldwide. Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC researchers are bridging a gap in scientific knowledge by studying some of the diseases that together add up to a formidable public health challenge. Feb. 28 marks the 14th international Rare Disease Day.
Date: Feb 28, 2022 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute biotech spin-out raises additional $305,000 in investments , article
With this wave of new grants and investments, Acomhal Research Inc. is nearing a million dollars in total funding toward development of a new therapeutic to fight drug-resistant cancers such as glioblastoma multiforme and metastatic disease including triple negative breast cancer.
Date: Dec 20, 2021 - -
Article ItemDual degree program and NIH grant allow medical student to pursue doctorate before graduation , article
Kenneth Young is pausing his studies the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine to pursue a doctorate through Virginia Tech’s Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, with his first year of research funded by a National Institutes of Health Diversity Supplement grant.
Date: Oct 20, 2021 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute spinoff Tiny Cargo Co. among Washington, DC Health Innovation QuickFire Challenge awardees , article
Tiny Cargo Co., founded by Rob Gourdie, professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, is among five companies to receive the award, which includes $50,000, the opportunity to reside at JLABS @ Washington, D.C. for one year, and mentorship from experts at the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.
Date: Sep 15, 2021 - -
Article ItemTenth season of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series launches Sept. 3 , article
With topics ranging from addiction, autism, and obesity to 3D silicon brains and the world’s fastest, deepest penetrating camera, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC's Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series features 26 leaders from the frontiers of cardiovascular science, cancer research, neuroscience, biomedical imaging, and health behaviors.
Date: Aug 26, 2021 - -
Article ItemFrom pasture to patient: Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists distill cow’s milk into nano-capsules for drug delivery , article
Rob Gourdie, professor and director of the Center for Vascular and Heart Research at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and his lab team developed a scalable method to harvest nano-sized biological capsules called exosomes from unpasteurized cow’s milk. Exosomes are a promising candidate for drug delivery in humans.
Date: Aug 19, 2021 - -
Article ItemNew scientists bring American Heart Association-funded research to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute , article
Jessica Pfleger and Yassine Sassi, who joined Virginia Tech this summer, brought with them American Heart Associated-funded research projects. Pfleger studies insulin resistance in the heart, and Sassi studies pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Date: Aug 04, 2021 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists uncover how molecule improves appearance of surgery scars , article
In a new study, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists discovered that the alphaCT1 molecule may help repair the skin’s collagen matrix by altering how scar-forming cells behave. The findings were published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.
Date: Jul 19, 2021 - -
Article ItemNew Fralin Biomedical Research Institute investigator seeks molecular causes for deadly lung, heart diseases , article
Yassine Sassi will join the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC on Aug. 1 as an assistant professor, where he will continue his research into pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis.
Date: Jun 29, 2021 - -
Article ItemNew Fralin Biomedical scientist explores how metabolism, stress alter gene expression in heart cells , article
Jessica Pfleger, a new faculty member starting at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC on July 1, studies how lifestyle factors, such as stress and diet, alter the genes and proteins involved in heart disease progression.
Date: Jun 25, 2021 - -
Article ItemMind the gap: Heart cells cozy up to prevent deadly arrhythmias, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute researchers find , article
Steven Poelzing, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, leads a team of cardiovascular scientists studying electrical conduction in the heart. Poelzing’s lab recently published a study that showed increasing sodium and calcium levels in the bloodstream helps keep dangerous heart rhythms, triggered by potassium overdose, at bay.
Date: May 03, 2021 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute’s 2021 Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series starts Jan. 29 , article
The seminar series, presented virtually due to the ongoing pandemic, is intended primarily for an academic audience but is open to all members of the Virginia Tech community as well as the public. Events in the program, set for Friday at 11 a.m. of most weeks, offer the expertise of a wide range of scientists exploring frontiers in biomedical research.
Date: Jan 28, 2021 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists provide new evidence of elusive electrical pathway in the heart , article
Associate Professor Steven Poelzing and Research Assistant Professor Gregory Hoeker, of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, recently published a study that helps explain why our classical understanding of heart beats and the mathematical models don’t add up.
Date: Nov 12, 2020 - -
Article ItemNew Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientist pursues heart disease treatments , article
Scott Johnstone’s team is designing drugs that interrupt protein interactions to curb pathological cell division.
Date: Nov 11, 2020 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute biotech spin-off seeks potential breast cancer treatment , article
Roanoke-based cancer research startup, Acomhal Research Inc., secured a $399,878 Small Business Technology Transfer grant to determine if a molecule that stalls the spread of invasive brain cancer stem cells can help treat aggressive forms of breast cancer.
Date: Jul 28, 2020 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists confirm usually benign virus attacks the heart’s electrical system , article
Virginia Tech researchers made their findings via first-of-their-kind experiments to observe adenovirus effects on human heart cells in a culture dish.
Date: Jun 16, 2020 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute doctoral candidate awarded NIH Fellowship to study role of virus in sudden cardiac death , article
A dose of adenovirus hits most people like a common cold – a cough, a fever, maybe a sore throat. But for an unfortunate few, the usually benign bug hacks the heart’s cellular electrical communication system and sometimes proves fatal.
Date: May 08, 2020 - -
Article ItemNew Virginia Tech startup seeks to use nano-capsules derived from milk to deliver heart drug , article
Good things come in small packages. Launched by Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s Robert Gourdie, The Tiny Cargo Co. will package vital heart medicine in nano-containers extracted from cow’s milk.
Date: Feb 12, 2020 - -
Article ItemBiomedical, business, engineering teams set to dive into shark-tank style competition , article
With a focus on health sciences and technology, the HS&T Hokie Pitch will involve 30 students who have worked with real-world mentors, selected intellectual property, and created an entrepreneurial plan to develop and commercialize biomedical discoveries.
Date: Dec 05, 2019 - -
Article ItemAmerican Heart Association postdoctoral fellow searches ‘secret molecular world’ for clues underlying vascular disease , article
Laura Beth Payne, a postdoctoral associate at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, has been awarded a two-year American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship to study molecular interactions in healthy and abnormal microvasculature.
Date: Oct 18, 2019 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute scientist earns American Heart Association award to study stroke recovery , article
The three-year American Heart Association Transformational Project Award will help heart and reparative medicine researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC examine the complex effects of ischemic brain injuries on blood vessels.
Date: Sep 11, 2019 - -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientists discover compound that could shield heart tissue , article
Imagine there was a drug that you could take soon after a heart attack that could reduce damage by protecting healthy heart muscle tissue.
Date: Aug 19, 2019 - -
Article ItemRoanoke scientists give local youth behind-the-scenes look at biomedical research , article
For the second year, Roanoke youth enrolled in Goodwill Industries of the Valley's YouthHQ@Goodwill Science Camp visited the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC this week. The campers learned about careers in science, microscopy, genetics, viruses, and how a heartbeat happens.
Date: Aug 08, 2019 - -
Article ItemLost in translation: The medium is the message for a healthy heartbeat , article
Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have revealed how a genetic message to produce healthy heart tissue is altered in the body during stress and aging to contribute to sudden cardiac death.
Date: May 28, 2019 - -
Article ItemInternational scientists to plug into cellular signals at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute conference , article
To explore potential sources of cellular electrical communication, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is hosting the world’s first Ephaptic Coupling Conference in Roanoke, Virginia, from May 5 to 7.
Date: Apr 29, 2019 - -
Article ItemBiomedical, business, engineering students set for HS&T shark tank-style competition , article
Teams will compete for $9,000 in prize money provided by the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Luna Innovations Inc., Carilion Clinic, the Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Woods Rogers law firm.
Date: Nov 27, 2018 - -
Article ItemVTCRI scientist awarded new federal grant to study cardiac conduction in health, disease , article
The grant will fund Steven Poelzing’s research into a heart mutation, known as a gain-of-function mutation, that can lead to sudden cardiac death and other heart conditions.
Date: Sep 17, 2018 - -
Article ItemThe heart: digital or analog? VTCRI researchers shed dramatic new light on disorders of heart bioelectricity , article
Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have found evidence that may disrupt conventional understanding about how electrical activity travels in the heart — a discovery that potentially can lead to new insight into medical problems, such as heart arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death.
Date: Aug 27, 2018 - -
Article ItemHeart association to support VTCRI biological sciences grad student's research into sudden cardiac death , article
Patrick Calhoun is investigating how a viral infection that causes a mild cough in the lungs may have a much more severe effect in heart tissue.
Date: Aug 03, 2018 - -
Article ItemVTCRI scientist earns third concurrent grant from the National Cancer Institute to study breast cancer , article
Deb Kelly, who is also an associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, is working to better detect, prevent, and repair the mutations found in cancers related to the breast cancer susceptibility protein, BRCA1.
Date: Jul 10, 2018 - -
Article ItemVTCRI scientists, Carilion clinicians first to identify perinexus in human heart , article
The research team was led by Steven Poelzing, an associate professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, and Soufian AlMahameed, who was a clinician associate professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the director of Carilion Clinic’s Center for Atrial Fibrillation at the time of data collection.
Date: Jun 18, 2018 - -
Article ItemVTCRI scientists identify novel cellular mechanism that can lead to cancer metastasis , article
Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have added a new dimension to the understanding of how cells alter their communication with one another during development, wound healing, and the spread of cancer.
Date: May 29, 2018 - -
Article ItemJohn Chappell earns NSF CAREER award to study pericyte and endothelial cell dynamics , article
With the five-year CAREER grant, Chappell will use imaging modalities in combination with novel experimental techniques to observe pericyte and endothelial cell dynamics in various cell and tissue microenvironments.
Date: Apr 30, 2018 - -
Article ItemResearchers discover molecular mechanism of hereditary, tumor-causing disease , article
Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome is a rare disease, affecting about one in every 36,000 people, according to the National Institutes of Health. People with the disorder have an increased risk for developing cancer, but a main concern is on the syndrome’s characteristic benign growths.
Date: Mar 07, 2018 - -
Article ItemTBMH graduate students land elusive National Institutes of Health fellowships , article
Doctoral students Tristan Raisch and Carissa James have won National Institutes of Health research fellowships aimed at protecting people with heart problems.
Date: Jan 08, 2018 - -
Article ItemVTCRI summer undergraduate neuroscience research federally funded for five more years , article
A summer pilot program for undergraduate neuroscience research at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute proved so successful that National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, of the National Institutes of Health, has provided $500,000 of funding for another five years.
Date: Jan 04, 2018 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech biomedical spinoff cited for innovation by national university associations , article
Acomhal Research Inc., formed to fight a deadly type of brain cancer, is being recognized this week by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Association of American Universities.
Date: Nov 13, 2017 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute teams converge on strategies to defeat McCain’s form of brain cancer , article
Research teams at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute from three colleges — Engineering, Science, and Veterinary Medicine — are developing new approaches to treat glioblastoma, the aggressive form of brain cancer recently diagnosed in U.S. Sen. John McCain.
Date: Jul 24, 2017 - -
Article ItemUndergraduates will spend summer learning what it means to be biomedical research scientists in and out of the lab , article
SURF students in both programs will complete independent research projects, with guidance provided by VTCRI faculty mentors, to be presented at the Virginia Tech Undergraduate Research Symposia on July 27.
Date: Jun 13, 2017 - -
Article ItemRegenerative medicine researcher’s startup companies give hope to patients , article
Sometimes it takes a researcher with a flair for entrepreneurship to translate a laboratory breakthrough into a medical treatment. Rob Gourdie, the director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute’s Center for Heart and Regenerative Medicine Research, uses "intrapreneurship" to translate laboratory breakthroughs into medical treatments.
Date: May 23, 2017 - -
Article ItemEarly career scientist receives international recognition from the Microscopy Society of America , article
Veeraragahavan studies the structural mechanisms underlying cardiac conduction in health and disease at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute’s Center for Heart and Regenerative Medicine in the laboratory of center director, Rob Gourdie.
Date: May 08, 2017 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientist awarded $2.1 million to fight heart disease , article
Steven Poelzing, an associate professor at the institute, will lead a research team to investigate how the microscopic spaces surrounding heart cells affect connections called gap junctions, which allow electrical impulses and small molecules to pass between cells.
Date: Jan 10, 2017 - -
Article ItemThird class joins Virginia Tech’s translational biology, medicine, and health doctoral program , article
The doctoral program is the Virginia Tech Graduate School’s largest interdisciplinary program, with more than 200 members of Virginia Tech’s Faculty of Health Sciences teaching and mentoring the students.
Date: Aug 23, 2016 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientist honored with Heart Rhythm Society Clinical Research Award , article
He will use the award funds to study, in a rodent model, how the composition of fluids administered to patients who have suffered cardiac arrest or myocardial infarction affects whether or not they survive and how well they recover from the event.
Date: Jul 27, 2016 - -
Article ItemReview paper explores cardiac scar solutions , article
A more complete understanding of how cells communicate during and after damage may eventually lead to therapeutic applications for a wide range of diseases and disorders.
Date: Jun 27, 2016 - -
Article ItemResearchers find way to make resistant brain cancer cells sensitive to treatment , article
Scientists from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and clinicians from Carilion Clinic have discovered how to sensitize drug-resistant human glioblastoma cells to chemotherapy.
Date: Nov 16, 2015 - -
Article ItemPersonalized saline may provide solution to heart death , article
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists found that saline solution composition can affect cardiac response differently.
Date: May 29, 2015 - -
Article ItemInaugural heart school events will get rescheduled , article
The public is invited to learn more about heart development and current cardiovascular research during Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute’s first heart school, held as part of American Heart Month.
Date: Feb 23, 2015 - -
Article ItemGoing viral: Targeting brain cancer cells with a wound-healing drug , article
At the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, three scientists are planning to create a virus capable of destroying brain cancer. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but it isn’t hypothetical – the researchers were recently awarded a grant from the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund, part of the Center for Innovative Technology, to engineer a viral therapy.
Date: Jan 05, 2015 - -
Article ItemFirst clinical trial for new skin wound-healing compound is a success , article
Heart research leads to unexpected discovery of a new drug for healing skin ulcers.
Date: Aug 21, 2014 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientist's work could lead to wounds healing twice as fast , article
The Catalyst grant is spurring advanced research into the repair and regeneration of damaged tissue in the Center for Heart and Regenerative Medicine Research at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
Date: Jun 26, 2014 - -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute sets a new pace in heart research , article
The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, well known for its innovative, world-class brain research, is launching a major new initiative in cardiovascular research.
Date: May 20, 2014 -
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