Scientists at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) have cooked up the first human protein gel material capable of repairing damaged heart tissue after a heart attack. The gel, made from recombinant human collagen in the BioEngineering and Therapeutic Solutions (BEaTS) laboratory of the...
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Cardiogenic shock patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) are among the most critically ill receiving care at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI). Most frequently occurring in patients who have suffered a severe heart attack, those with cardiogenic shock have difficulty pumping...
Common practice during complex arrhythmia ablation procedures, such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia ablation, calls for the use of radiation to help visualize catheter movement and guide the electrophysiologist through critical portions of the procedure. This type of radiation...
At the turn of the 21 st century, what we knew about the genetic underpinnings of heart disease was limited. There had been success in identifying inherited mutations that cause relatively rare heart rhythm and muscle disorders (arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies). But the genetics of common cardiac...
A heart attack is never good, but a STEMI heart attack is the most serious and deadly. It means that one of the arteries that deliver blood to the heart is completely blocked. The longer the heart goes without blood, the greater the damage. In 2004, the Ottawa Heart Institute launched its STEMI...
Roughly half a million Canadians live with heart failure. The condition is an increasingly common one that can seriously impact an individual’s quality of life. Even when appropriately treated, hospital admission and readmission rates are stubbornly high. Traditionally, therapeutic implants called...
It was a cold November night in 2008. All was quiet save the wind whistling through the bare trees, dark against the evening sky. Inside the computed tomography (CT) suite of the Ottawa Heart Institute, a small group stood hushed with anticipation. It would be a night that none of them would ever...
In 2012, the promise of using genetic information to personalize patient care made a leap forward at the Ottawa Heart Institute, with the introduction of the RAPID GENE test. Patients who get a cardiac stent to open a blocked artery must take medication to prevent blood clots. Clopidogrel is most...
Last month, a team of doctors at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), in partnership with their colleagues at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, successfully performed the country’s first completely non-invasive cardiac radio-ablation without incident. Using technology pioneered by...
When he came to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute on April 2, 2004, Robert Roberts, MD, was well established as an international leader in cardiovascular genetics and research. He arrived with a mandate to put research at the Heart Institute on par with the world-class care and training the...
The Ottawa Heart Research Conference, hosted by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, brought together an array of researchers that included leading figures from North America and Europe for a lively exploration of “Emerging Pathways in Cardiovascular Disease.” A recent conference mounted by the...
It was the very uniqueness of the gene that first drew the attention of molecular biologist Patrick Burgon, PhD. “The striking thing about this gene is that it has no other family members,” he said. “That’s what drove my curiosity.” The gene is muscle enriched A-type lamin interacting protein, or...
Researcher Thomas Lagace, PhD, first came across the protein PCSK9 as a postdoctoral fellow, never guessing that it would become the focus of his career. While starting his post-doc at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, he was placed “kind of kicking and screaming,” as he put it, on a...
Participants at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s 25th Annual Research Day attend a research presentation. The program included more than 75 presentations in the categories of basic science, clinical science, and allied and population health. May 7, 2012, marked the 25th Annual Research Day...
First Nations people are believed to experience high rates of ischemic heart disease (IHD), a leading cause of death in Canada, and an important topic of discussion among cardiovascular and allied healthcare professionals attending this year’s Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) in Toronto. Dr...
“Do these genes make me look fat?” A new study suggests the answer is yes, and for the first time ever, scientists believe it is the genes that cause inflammation that are at fault. In a study published in Nature Metabolism, a leading academic journal covering a full-spectrum of metabolic research...
The second annual Ottawa Heart Research Conference convened on May 8, bringing together an enthusiastic community of scientists and trainees to share insights on personalized cardiovascular medicine. The theme was chosen in honour of former University of Ottawa Heart Institute President and CEO...
In the film Minority Report, the police were able to see who was going to commit a murder before it happened, and then prevent it. Being able to do the same thing for heart attacks would be a major advance for cardiology—knowing who is going to have a heart attack and then preventing it from...
Following Burgon’s talk at the International Forum, Philip Devereaux of McMaster University spoke about Canada’s unique place in the world of cardiovascular medicine. Not only is cardiovascular disease (CVD) the leading cause of death globally but by 2020, the incidence in developing countries is...
The CARDIoGRAM consortium, of which the Heart Institute is a founding member, reported finding 13 new genetic regions associated with increased risk for coronary artery disease and heart attack. CARDIoGRAM brings together research teams from around the world to pool data sets and increase their...