The American Heart Association, through its American Heart Association Ventures' Studio Red, has announced the recipients of the Redefining Women's Health: From Heart to Head to Hormones translational research grant awards. Each of the five selected projects will receive $100,000 over a one-year period to accelerate high-potential research aimed at moving discoveries from the lab to real-world application. The announcement comes as women continue to face significant gaps in cardiovascular research, diagnosis, and treatment, according to a report published by the American Heart Association and the McKinsey Health Institute.
The funded projects span several priority areas, including ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA), autoimmune disease, and heavy menstrual bleeding. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will design a safer, non-invasive MRI technique to detect hidden heart blood vessel problems in women without drugs or invasive procedures. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is developing a novel blood test to diagnose autoimmune diseases earlier and more accurately in women. The University of California, Los Angeles, will use artificial intelligence to analyze medical records, heart images, and lab tests to identify women at risk for INOCA and coronary microvascular dysfunction. The University of Maryland, Baltimore, is creating an AI-powered tool to help doctors quickly identify causes of heavy menstrual bleeding and recommend effective treatments. The University of Pittsburgh is testing an ultrasound-based therapy using tiny bubbles and sound waves to improve blood flow in the heart's smallest vessels and relieve chest pain.
"Too often, conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women are overlooked or misunderstood in clinical care," said Annabelle Volgman, M.D., chair of the peer review committee for the Association's translational research grant awards. "The projects we selected to fund stood out based on scientific rigor and the potential to translate into meaningful improvements in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for women."
During the award period, Studio Red will provide grantees with support and education on intellectual property, regulatory, reimbursement, and commercialization strategies. At the conclusion, one to two awardees may be selected for company incubation in Studio Red, with the goal of having one company created and ready for follow-on funding. This investment matters because it directly addresses the underdiagnosis, undertreatment, and underfunding of conditions that disproportionately affect women. As Mariell Jessup, M.D., chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association, noted, "Many heart, brain and related conditions that disproportionately, differently or distinctly impact women remain underdiagnosed, undertreated and underfunded. Through this grant program, the American Heart Association is investing to advance groundbreaking research and novel solutions that will close critical gaps in health for women."
For readers, these grants signal a push toward more personalized and effective care for women, potentially leading to earlier detection and better outcomes for conditions that have historically been missed. The American Heart Association continues to provide resources on women's health, including its American Heart Association News brings you the latest information women's health and a Call to Action for Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Epidemiology, Awareness, Access, and Delivery of Equitable Health Care: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association | Circulation. More information about the Association's venture initiatives is available at heart.org/ventures and heart.org. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com.
