Walkers Support Work Against Heart Disease and Stroke

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have received more than $24 million in grants from the American Heart Association (AHA) over the past 10 years.

Now the whole university community is invited to show support for the AHA by joining the annual Heart Walk, Saturday, Nov. 6, at Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston. The Heart Walk begins at 9 a.m. A special breakfast for health science center participants begins at 7:30 a.m.

In its ongoing work against heart disease and stroke, the AHA has awarded the following grants to health science center faculty members from 2000-2004:

Joseph L. Alcorn, Ph.D., Pediatrics and Neonatology, Medical School (MS), Grant-in-Aid, Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Glucocorticoid Regulation of Human Surfactant Protein-B mRNA Stability, funded in part by gifts from Deloitte & Touche, LLP, of Houston and the Baker Hughes Foundation of Houston.

Ka Bian, M.D., Ph.D., Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, MS, Beginning Grant-in-Aid, Endothelial Protein-Tyrosine Nitration and de-Nitration, a Novel Signal Transduction Regulator of Angiogenesis, funded in part by gifts from Houston Cellular of Houston and FMC Corporation of Houston.

Diane L. M. Hickson Bick, Ph.D., Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MS and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), Beginning Grant-in-Aid, Regulation of Fatty Acid Induced Apoptosis in the Neonatal Rat Cardiac Myocyte, funded in part by gifts from Lehman Brothers of Houston and Ocean Energy Inc. of Houston.

Scott Drouin, Ph.D., Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), Beginning Grant-in-Aid, Complement Regulation of Th2 Functions in Lung Allergy, awarded in honor of BP American of Houston.

Luisa Franzini, Ph.D., Management, Policy and Community Health, School of Public Health, Beginning Grant-in-Aid, Contributions of Social Conditions to Heart Disease Mortality in Texas, funded in part by gifts from the Strake Foundation of Houston and the Waggoners Foundation of Houston.

Kenichi Fujise, M.D., Internal Medicine, Cardiology, MS, IMM and GSBS, Beginning Grantin- Aid, Molecular Characterization of Fortilin, a Novel Anti-Apoptotic Protein.

Bilba Gillard, Ph.D., Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases, MS, Grant-in-Aid, Individual Variability in Human Endothelial Cell Gloycosphingolipids: Risk Factors for Endothelial Cell Injury, awarded in honor of the Conroe Independent School District, funded in part by a gift from Zeneca Pharmaceuticals of Houston.

Dale Hereld, M.D., Ph.D., Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, MS and GSBS, Beginning Grant-in-Aid, Internalization of G Protein-Coupled cAMP Receptors in Dictyostelium, awarded in honor of Conroe Regional Medical Center.

Vasanthi Jayaraman, Ph.D., Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, MS and GSBS, Beginning Grantin- Aid, Glutamate Receptor Structure and Function.

Kevin A. Morano, Ph.D., Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, MS and GSBS, Beginning Grant-in-Aid, Identification and Characterization of New Heat Shock Genes in Yeast.

Roger G. O’Neil, Ph.D., Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, MS and GSBS, Grants-in-Aid, Effects of Hyperglycemia on Vasoactive Peptide Regulation of Calcium Signaling and MAPK Cascade in Mesangial Cells.

Thomas Rich, Ph.D., Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, MS and GSBS, Beginning Grant-in- Aid, Real-Time Measurement of cGMP Signals in Single Cells.

Sudha Veeraraghavan, Ph.D., Biochemistry and Structural Biology Center, MS and GSBS, Beginning Grant in-Aid, Structure and Interactions of Peptide Regulators of Angiogenesis, awarded in honor of Francisco Fuentes, M.D., professor of internal medicine – cardiology and the Theodore and Maureen O’Driscoll Levy Endowed Professor in Cardiology, MS.

Yuling Wang, Ph.D., Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, MS, Post Doctoral Fellowship, The Stat5a/b Proline-Directed Serine Kinase Represents a New Molecular Target for Promoting Cardiac Allograft Acceptance, awarded in honor of Continental Airlines of Houston.

Yang Xia, M.D., Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MS, Beginning Grant-in-Aid, The Role of mTOR Signaling in the Cardiac Transcriptional Response to Hypertrophic Stimuli, 2003-2004 Lyndon Baines Johnson Research Award Recipient.

Martin Young, D.Phil., IMM and GSBS, Beginning Grant-in-Aid, Molecular Circadian Rhythms in the Heart.