Three postdoctoral researchers at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have received American Heart Association fellowships to continue studies of cardiovascular disease.
The recipients are Marcella Datilo, Ph.D.; Liang Gao, Ph.D; and Hina Nizami, Ph.D. All three have completed a doctoral degree and are now in the early stages of their scientific careers. Their two-year fellowships range from $153,000 to $166,000, and those funds will help advance their research training.
The AHA has awarded research fellowships since 1949. Studies funded by the organization have led to Nobel Prizes and to breakthroughs including the development of artificial heart valves and cholesterol-lowering medications.
OMRF Vice President of Research Courtney Griffin, Ph.D., received three AHA grants early in her career. She now reviews the organization’s grant applications and has served on the Oklahoma City chapter’s board of directors.
“These fellowships are critical for both OMRF and the trainees,” Griffin said. “Among other things, they pay the trainees’ salaries, which extends lab resources to support their projects. For the recipients, these fellowships can steer them further toward a career aimed at better understanding the human cardiovascular system.”
Datilo studies the causes of heart valve damage. These valves make sure blood flows in the right direction into and out of the heart. Valve damage occurs in 1 in 10 older people and can be life-threatening.
Gao investigates sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects more than 100,000 people in the U.S., primarily those of African descent. In the condition, red blood cells become rigid and sticky, blocking blood flow and causing inflammation, excruciating pain and potential organ damage.
Nizami researches the molecular cause of diabetic cardiomyopathy, an abnormal weakening of the heart muscle that often results from diabetes. She will explore strategies to protect the heart from diabetes.
“Each of these talented postdoctoral trainees is studying a crucial aspect of a cardiovascular condition, and each project could ultimately lead to a new therapeutic treatment,” Griffin said. “I’m excited to see where their research takes them.”
