News
01/03/2019
Jared Churko, PhD, assistant professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, spoke with Leslie Tolbert, PhD, regents professor emerita, Neuroscience at the University of Arizona, about using iPS cells to study patient-specific diseases, test drugs most likely to work on a given patient, and even replace diseased tissues.
12/20/2018
A cardiovascular research team at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center investigated in a lab model whether metformin, a common diabetes drug, could be an effective treatment for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The researchers found that the drug reduced left ventricular stiffness, thereby improving capacity for exercise. Metformin relaxes the left ventricle by making a heart muscle protein called titin more compliant.
12/05/2018
Cheryl Alli was acknowledged for her years as a community volunteer; Alpha Phi Sorority featured Sarver Heart Center at their Red Dress Gala; medical students developed Spanish-language chest-compression-only CPR materials; and Dr. Nancy Sweitzer was honored as the Mary Anne Fay Women's Heart Health Advocate of the Year.
12/05/2018
Ike Chinyere, a dual MD/PhD student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson and a research assistant in the Goldman Research Lab in the UA Sarver Heart Center received the Richard Allen Williams Scholarship for Medical Students from the Association of Black Cardiologists.
12/03/2018
Improved cardiac diagnostics, physician collaboration and awareness of congenital heart conditions in adults led to the diagnosis of a complex congenital heart defect followed by a minimally invasive repair that has a 69-year-old woman breathing easier. The unique team is all under one roof at Sarver Heart Center and Banner – UMC Tucson.
11/30/2018
A research team led by Jared Churko, PhD, director of the University of Arizona iPSC Core in the UA Sarver Heart Center, used a transcriptomic approach — studying what genes are expressed — to identify gene signatures of cell subpopulations identified as atrial-like or ventricular-like. This understanding could lead to regenerative therapy discoveries for the millions of people living with damaged heart muscle caused by heart attacks or other chronic heart conditions.
11/27/2018
Individuals with a particular genetic factor may be more resistant to plaque build-up and have a reduced risk for coronary artery disease.
11/01/2018
NIH grant will allow Taben Hale, PhD, to study cardiac fibroblasts.
10/24/2018
A lab simulation model of an artificial artery in the Slepian Lab at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center demonstrates “pulse wave velocity” is a feasible measurement for monitoring blood pressure. Wearable patches show promise for measuring PWV, making them a potentially inexpensive blood-pressure monitoring option.
10/11/2018
The University of Arizona Structural Heart Disease Program team at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, led by Kapil Lotun, MD, reached another milestone last week in completing the first-ever transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure on a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve utilizing only transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to guide them. The procedure also was unique in that only a minimum of contrast dye was employed in final diagnoses preparations for the procedure and no CT (computed tomography) scan was used at all.