Joseph J. Jacobs Center for Thrombosis and Vascular Biology

The Center for Thrombosis and Vascular Biology was founded in 1993. Dr. Eric Topol is Director and Dr. Edward Plow is Head of Research. The Center is composed of 9 faculty members and has a total staff of 56. Faculty members in the Center have appointments in a number of other Departments at CCF including the Departments of Cell Biology and Molecular Cardiology in the Lerner Research Institute and the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. The Center is committed to implementing a fully integrated and interdisciplinary approach to the study of cardiovascular disease. Targets of research range from basic molecular and cellular mechanisms, the manipulation of these mechanisms in animal models, analyses of the genes and gene products in cardiovascular disease, and clinical research which seeks to improve diagnosis and therapy for patients.

Research programs include studies of the cells and molecules involved in thrombosis and hemostasis. These studies seek to define the molecular basis for platelet and endothelial cell responses. These basic studies are being extended into patients to determine whether newly identified mechanisms can be targets for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. A similar progression of studies from basic to clinical investigations occurs in the thrombolysis area. Basic studies of the plasminogen system are conducted to define mechanisms, transgenic mouse models are exploited to critically evaluate the fibrinolysis and its link to inflammation in vivo, and studies in human seek to optimize therapy for thrombotic events.

Research efforts also include analyses of cardiovascular risk factors, seeking to define the molecular basis for pathogenic activities. Such insights may become the basis for new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. With recent patient studies emphasizing the importance of inflammation in atherosclerosis and restenosis, the mechanisms that govern the recruitment of inflammatory cells are being investigated. How other diseases, such as diabetes, influence vascular responses and therapies are being evaluated.

The scope of research in the Center also includes approaches to salvage damaged heart tissue with progenitor cells and to define how angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is regulated and can be manipulated to restore blood flow to damaged tissue. Overall, the Center seeks to implement a comprehensive approach to define the basic mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and to translate these insights to patient care.