Healing Begins with Discovery

Pushing the frontiers of research to help those who suffer

The following medical advances were discovered by Medical College of Wisconsin cardiovascular researchers:

• Discovered substances produced by brain cells to trigger the growth of new blood vessels, an important clue as to how the brain works to combat the effects of a stroke.

• Discovered how the body's reflexes control the heart and lung systems making general anesthesia safer.

• Discovered the critical link between kidney blood flow regulation and the development of high blood pressure.

• Discovered that female athletes experiencing amenorrhea (cessation of menstrual cycle) are at high risk for both cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

• Discovered that automated external defibrillators, used in conjunction with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, double the chances of survival for cardiac arrest victims.

• Discovered a gene that helps regulate triglyceride levels in the body. Elevated triglycerides, a fat component in the blood, are a significant risk factor in heart disease.

• Discovered techniques used during surgery and after surgery that resulted in the nation's best outcomes for a form of pediatric heart surgery (hypoplastic left heart syndrome surgery).

• Discovered higher levels of the hormone aldosterone in African Americans with high blood pressure. Aldosterone is secreted by the adrenal glands and causes salt retention by the kidneys.

• Discovered that the transfer of the renin gene from a strain of rat resistant to hypertension into the genetic background of a hypertensive strain restores the relaxation of cerebral arteries.

• Discovered novel genetic variants contributing to left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive individuals.

• Discovered a way to create the first genetically modified rat using technology known as zinc finger nuclease, paving the way for the development of novel genetically modified animal models of human diseases.

• Discovered that genes partially govern where the fatty deposits develop within the heart's arteries in patients.