Translational research supporting stem cell therapy for cardiovascular disease, including: core laboratories for preclinical IND-enabling studies (e.g., PACT), and clinical trials networks for evaluating promising new treatments (e.g., CCTRN).

Combining Research Efforts to Find Answers Faster - collaboration across organs should be encouraged and practiced.

NHLBI directed research should be abandoned and switched to investigator initiated research. I respectfully suggest read the following assay by Brown and Goldstein, Science 2012; 338: 1033-1034 The best way to run the science sponsored by the NIH (or NHLBI) is not to guide it (analogy to running science from ivory tower) but let the investigators decide what is worth pursuing. Get rid of NHLBI-directed research initiative... more »

There is a need to initiate innovative community trials that are: theory-based; are integrated multi-component, multi-setting, and multi-level (i.e., they target individual, family, community, and built environment); engage community stakeholders; and use community-participatory research principles to enhance cardiovascular health (CVH) in vulnerable and diverse populations.

Critical Challenge

How do we harness the ongoing “natural experiments” of quality improvement (QI) activities in various healthcare systems to facilitate hypothesis-driven research, improve scientific validity to address questions in clinical trials, and implement and disseminate research results? • Current restrictions in human subjects research regulations • Diversity in approaches and methodology rigor to QI initiatives across different... more »

So much basic cardiovascular discovery relies on cell culture models. While cardiac cell lines exist (e.g. HL-1, H9c2), these often poorly model aspects of cardiomyocyte function in-situ (e.g. contractile function, metabolism). In contrast, primary cardiomyocytes isolated from adult animals (especially mice!) are not readily amenable to culture conditions. Even if cells can be kept alive, they are often refractory to... more »

We need to increase our base of T4 implementation research expertise among researchers, reviewers, and investigators.

There is a need for more enhanced pain research in order to help improve sickle cell disease patient outcomes and quality of life.

As some of us described in a recent publication, in the fields of nutrition and obesity, and perhaps in other fields as well, there is often a great deal of research which uses up resources, investigator time, journal pages, and attention span for questions that do not advance the field. We call for scientists, reviewers, and funding decision makers to collectively ask much more rigorously, "How will this proposed study... more »

How might the NHLBI effectively encourage and support its investigators to collaborate with strategic partners to pursue the early translation of their HLBS discoveries into new diagnostics and therapeutics? The critical challenges to effective early translation of discovery science experienced by the investigator community include: 1. The need for translational skills development, training and guidance 2. Need for... more »

The decision by NHLBI to not support the R21 mechanism may be stifling new and innovative research, partcularly by young investigators who do not have a track record of R01 funding. The critical challenge is to keep funding new ideas from younger investigators to keep their careers viable while they obtain the data and publications necessary for further R01-level funding.

What are effective strategies for community-based participatory dissemination and implementation research initiatives in rural settings? • Limited number of studies that adapt evidence- or practice-based interventions to rural settings • Needs innovative approaches to engaging the rural community • New intervention approaches needs testing in rural communities • Building a team would have to involve of local community... more »

How do we attract more students/trainees into fields that are not popularized by “catchy” names?

The research on pulmonary vascular biology including smooth muscle cell biology and endothelial cell biology and related pulmonary vascular diseases such as pulmonary hypertension and related right heart failure, and endothelial dysfunction in lung vascular inflammation and acute lung injury, as well as pulmonary embolism and lung transplantation has been rapidly expanding. The field is attracting an ever increasing... more »