VCCBH News

2022 Pilot Grant Award Recipients

December 6, 2022 by Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health

These awards, supported wholly by funds from UVM entities, provide $200,000 over 2 years to fund meritorious research from early career faculty. We are very grateful to Deans from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Arts & Sciences, Engineering & Mathematical Sciences, and the Graduate College, as well as the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont, for their support of this program. In addition, we would like to acknowledge matching fund support from the Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and Medicine.

These awards, supported wholly by funds from UVM entities, provide $200,000 over 2 years to fund meritorious research from early career faculty. We are very grateful to Deans from the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Arts & Sciences, Engineering & Mathematical Sciences, and the Graduate College, as well as the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont, for their support of this program. In addition, we would like to acknowledge matching fund support from the Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and Medicine.
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Mimicking Exercise Intolerance in Human Cardiac Slice Preparations

Dr Matthew Caporizzo is a newly appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and is a Pipeline Investigator in our Center. His work focuses on the molecular mechanisms that stiffen the failing heart and developing a program to test new therapies that reverse pathological stiffening of the heart.

Exertional intolerance is a common early feature of heart disease caused by stiffening of the heart. Developing therapies to soften the failing heart has been hindered by a lack of experimental techniques capable of measuring exertional capacity in isolated cardiac tissue.  The aim of this proposal is to develop the first-of-its-kind working cardiac tissue preparation to assess the role of stiffness on exertional tolerance. Having recently identified microtubule stabilization as a source of stiffness in the failing heart, the Caporizzo lab will leverage this methodology to determine the potential of microtubule-based therapies to improve cardiac performance in an established rat model of heart failure.  To determine the translational potential of microtubule destabilization therapies to the clinic, the Caporizzo Lab will adapt their platform accordingly to assess exertional tolerance in cardiac biopsy samples. This will enable identification of patient pools most-likely to benefit from microtubule destabilization therapies. If successful, our work will provide new pharmaceutical targets and guidance for novel microtubule-based therapy trials currently under development for the treatment of heart disease.

Evaluating Cardiovascular Care Delivery in Cancer Patients and Its Complications

Dr Mansour Gergi is a newly appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology Division and is a Pipeline Investigator in our Center. His work focuses on balancing risks for bleeding and clot formation in cancer patients with cardiovascular disease.

There is a significant clinical knowledge gap on how to balance the risk of bleeding in people with cancer that are at risk for developing blood clots or thrombi. People with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at greater risk for developing thrombi. The objective of my research is to study how cancer diagnoses affect care for patients under treatment for CVD with antithrombotics. Antithrombotics are drugs that reduce the formation of thrombi in the cardiovascular system. A comparison of antithrombotic therapy outcomes for CVD patients with and without Cancer will be conducted to determine if those with Cancer are at greater risk for bleeding and are treated appropriately to minimize this risk. The goal of this work is to identify cancer-specific risk factors for bleeding in this patient population. These factors will allow clinicians to better assess risks versus benefits when developing a treatment plan for patients with Cancer and CVD.

Recent Stories and Publications Featuring VCCBH Members

Target ALS LinkedIn Post Featuring Research by Dr. Kathryn H. Morelli, PhD

Posted January 4, 2025

"ALS is a devastating disease, but researchers like Kathryn H. Morelli, Ph.D., a Target ALS Springboard Fellow and now an assistant professor at the University of Vermont, are driving innovations that bring us closer to effective treatments. Focused on developing RNA-targeted therapies for C9orf72 ALS, one of the most common genetic causes of the disease, Kathy’s work showcases the critical importance of collaboration, cutting-edge tools, and determination..."

Advancing ALS Research with Stem Cell Resources and Targeted Reagents: The Role of Target ALS in the Quest for Effective Treatment

Posted January 4, 2025

"ALS is a devastating neurodegenerative disease, and while there is no cure, ongoing research continues to offer hope for more effective treatments. An individual at the forefront of these efforts is Dr. Kathryn Morelli, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, whose research aims to address the complex challenges of ALS, building on work she did with her postdoctoral mentor Dr. Gene Yeo. Working closely with Abby Kirch, a PhD student in her lab, Kathy and her team are focused on developing RNA-targeted therapies for ALS, particularly for the C9ORF72 mutation, one of the most common genetic causes of the disease..."

Larner College of Medicine Dean's Newsletter, Accolades and Accomplishments

Posted December 4, 2024

"On November 16, Larner Assistant Professor of Medicine Debora Kamin Mukaz, Ph.D., M.S., moderated a panel on science policy advocacy titled “How can we engage scientists from historically underrepresented backgrounds in policymaking and advocacy?” at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2024 conference in Chicago. The panelists were AHA President Keith Churchwell, M.D.; past AHA President Michelle Albert, M.D., M.P.H.; Emelia Benjamin, M.D., Sc.M., associate provost and professor of medicine and epidemiology at Boston University; and Carl Streed, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of medicine at Boston University..."

Research on spider brain leads to groundbreaking Alzheimer’s discovery

Posted December 3, 2024

"Neurodegeneration in spider brain leads Vermont neuroscientists to groundbreaking discovery in Alzheimer’s-affected human brains 
Vermont Business Magazine Researchers from Saint Michael’s College and the University of Vermont have made a groundbreaking new discovery that provides a better understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease develops in the human brain..."

Larner College of Medicine Dean's Newsletter, Accolades and Accomplishments

Posted October 23, 2024

"In a recent paper published in Nature Communications titled “Endothelial Piezo1 Channel Mediates Mechano-Feedback Control of Brain Blood Flow,” Osama Harraz, Ph.D., Bloomfield Early Career Professor in Cardiovascular Research and assistant professor of pharmacology at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, and his team of researchers from American and European institutions reveal that Piezo1, a lesser-understood protein, acts as a “brake” system, helping blood flow return to normal after neural activity..."

The association of leptin and incident hypertension in the reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke (REGARDS) cohort

Posted October 23, 2024

"Leptin is an adipokine associated with obesity and with hypertension in animal models. Whether leptin is associated with hypertension independent of obesity is unclear. Relative to White adults, Black adults have higher circulating leptin concentration..."

Assessing prenatal and early childhood social and environmental determinants of health in the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study (HBCD)

Posted October 23, 2024

"The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood..."

Health Watch: UVM researchers unlock secrets of brain blood flow in cognitive health

Posted October 16, 2024

"Osama Harraz, Ph.D and his team of researchers at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine have made a breakthrough that could help in the effort to better understand the causes of dementia and how to stop it..."