The American Heart Association (AHA) announced the three recipients of its 2024 Merit Awards, which will grant each of the researchers $1 million to examine mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease, novel therapeutics, and preventive strategies that may help reduce the burden and advance the understanding of cardiovascular disease.

Among the award winners were Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, FAHA, the Distinguished Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine and the Samuel A. Levine Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Loscalzo plans to use the funding to analyze the association between 135,000 chemicals naturally present in foods and cardiovascular disease. He will utilize high-speed computers and modeling systems to determine how the chemicals may interact with cell proteins and which cells may be responsible for protecting cardiovascular health, as well as develop new dietary regimens to effectively treat cardiovascular disease.

Another awardee, Daniel J. Rader, MD, FAMA, the Seymour Gray Professor of Molecular Medicine and Chair of the Department of Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, expects to focus his research on the genes and pathways that may impact the metabolism of lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides. Dr. Rader noted that these lipids are known to cause coronary artery disease and aortic stenosis. Employing computational, experimental, and human-based studies, he hopes to better understand how newly identified genes expressed in the liver could modulate lipid levels and either protect against or promote cardiovascular disease.

Lastly, Philip S. Tsao, PhD, FAHA, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, will assess whether vaping, in combination with genetics, may increase the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Dr. Tsao revealed that by better understanding the mechanisms behind the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms, he and his colleagues may uncover novel treatment options for this patient population.