Imbalances in membrane excitability underlie a broad range of cardiac arrhythmias and conduction defects. Although we now know the genes encoding almost all ion channels, we have little understanding of how the macromolecular composition and relative numbers of different channel types is achieved to exert exquisite control over membrane potential changes in time. Even minor changes in this balance can lead to sudden ...more »

NHLBI should define a strategy to promote collaborative research between clinician-scientists who perform patient-oriented research, and basic scientists who focus on the preclinical realm. There is not enough cross-talk between these two groups, and yet much to be gained from increasing interactions between the two (e.g. accelerating the translation of bench science findings into the clinic). In particular, funding strategies ...more »

One significant challenge if you're a patient or a patient advocate is "who is going to find a life-saving treatment or cure for my disease. Who is going to Pick me and my disease?". The answer is complex but lies within the research community's priorities and interests. Think for a moment like a patient. You are at the mercy of the research community at large, government agencies and companies willing to make your ...more »

Are we funding enough basic research to support future research?

There is a need to identify and develop suitable animal models (e.g. larger, non-primate animal models) that faithfully predict the outcomes of new medicines and treatments in heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders prior to human clinical trials.

What HIV/AIDS-related basic research can NHLBI support in the next 5-10 years to investigate the fundamental mechanisms of HIV-related heart, lung, and/or blood (HLB) diseases alone and in the context of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to improve heart, lung, and blood health outcomes in HIV infections as well as the fundamental mechanisms of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in potential elimination or eradication ...more »

One of the major challenges in translating from bench-to-bedside and back is communication: the ability of basic and clinical scientists to understand each other's scientific language to be able to appreciate the importance of the other’s research questions and findings.

Large medical delivery systems have an abundance of information stored in their EHR systems. What steps are necessary to develop partnerships between NHLBI and medical delivery systems or other agencies such as AHRQ to access these EHR systems, develop a common terminology (if icd 9 and other common codes are ineffective for merging data) and add that data to dbGap for NIH/community use?

What are the strategies for heart, lung, blood, sleep workforce to gain first-hand international experience in clinical research/implementation research training in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings?

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 »

There is a need for greater evidence-based research over the next 5-10 years to reduce healthcare costs, reduce hospitalizations, and support older persons with significant heart, lung, blood, sleep conditions to remain in their private homes if feasible, if technology is utilized that fosters clinical and epidemiologic research.

Sleep and circadian disorders are relatively new areas of medicine. Most universities currently lack a critical mass of investigators to develop institutional T32 grants. Thus, there are, unfortunately, few such programs nationally. The Sleep Research Society has recognized this and is taking active steps to facilitate development of other T32 institutional training grants. This will not, however, help the majority ...more »