Heart disease, stroke, and lung disease are three of the four leading causes of death for Americans.
U of M researchers create beating heart in laboratory Story
At the University of Minnesota, researchers are working to control these conditions with better treatments and programs in preventive care.
In January 2008 a University research team led by Doris Taylor, Ph.D., director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair and Medtronic Bakken Professor of Medicine and Physiology, created a beating heart in the laboratory using a method that may revolutionize how heart and other tissues are developed.
The University has long been a leader in heart health, starting with the world's first successful open-heart surgery in 1952. More recently, a pediatric cardiologist here developed a minimally invasive patch called "angel wings" that treats a heart defect in babies without the need for open-heart surgery. The University's Rasmussen Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention offers the country's most comprehensive assessment of early cardiovascular abnormalities, which can identify conditions that often go undetected but can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other complications.
In 2006, the University launched a new Center for Lung Science and Health to bring lung researchers together and help expedite the development of new treatments and community outreach programs. The center is home to national and international leaders in lung disease, asthma and allergy, respiratory failure and critical care, sleep medicine, and lung transplantation, who work together to provide state-of-the-art patient care and promote lung health.
Gift Opportunities
Ways your gift can contribute to heart disease, lung disease, and stroke prevention and treatment programs at the University of Minnesota include:
- Helping to provide the best clinical evaluations and care for people at risk for cardiovascular or pulmonary disease
- Supporting research efforts to develop new ways to repair the heart or lungs with stem cells
- Contributing to funding for leading-edge lung laboratories
- Supporting the training of promising young investigators
Every gift helps University of Minnesota researchers fight the statistics and control heart disease, lung disease, and stroke with better treatments. Make your gift online now to heart disease and stroke or lung disease.