TUCSON, Ariz. — The Sarver Heart Center proudly announces that its Director, Dr. Hesham Sadek, has been awarded the American Heart Association’s Transformational Project Award to support his research titled "Novel Small Molecules that Enhance DNA Repair for Mitigating Cancer Therapy Induced Cardiac Toxicity."
This highly competitive national award provides $300,000 over three years to support innovative, high-impact projects that have the potential to significantly advance the field of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular research. Dr. Sadek’s project addresses a critical barrier in cardio-oncology by exploring novel therapeutic strategies to reduce the long-term cardiac damage caused by cancer treatments.
The AHA Transformational Project Award is reserved for investigators whose research builds on strong preliminary data and challenges current paradigms in meaningful ways. Dr. Sadek’s project introduces a novel approach to enhancing DNA repair in heart tissue—an innovation with potential to improve survivorship and quality of life for cancer patients at risk of treatment-related heart disease.
"We thank the American Heart Association for their continued support," said Sadek. "We are excited about this award because it will allow us to focus our studies on a new drug that we have discovered that can potentially protect the heart from the damaging effects of cancer therapies. If successful, this first in class drug could usher a new era in cardio-oncology.
The grant period begins July 1, 2025.