CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology Center of Biomedical Research Excellence

CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology Center of Biomedical Research Excellence

Cardiovascular and pulmonary vascular diseases are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. To combat the rising number of cases, the National Institute for General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a $10.1 million, five-year grant to establish the CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (CPVB COBRE). The aim is to improve understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of vascular pathobiology in lung and heart diseases.

With this grant, a multidisciplinary group of MD, PhD and MD/PhD investigators will develop a research center focusing on understanding the biology of vascular diseases and the mechanisms of blood vessel injury to help develop new and innovative treatments.

It will be administered by the Ocean State Research Institute, a non-profit research and education foundation located at the Providence VA Medical Center (VAMC).

The CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology COBRE is led by Sharon Rounds, MD and Elizabeth Harrington, PhD. Rounds, COBRE program director, is chief of medical service at the Providence VAMC while Harrington, COBRE deputy director, is a research biologist at the Providence VAMC and an associate dean at Brown University. Both are members of medical faculty at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

This COBRE is the first of its kind in Rhode Island, a state with a high burden of both heart and lung disease.

Cardiovascular Research and Clinical Trials

Research is currently being conducted to learn more about allergies and how they affect our patients. 

Search clinical trials

The Researchers

A unique feature of the CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology COBRE is the melding of research by collaborating MDs, PhDs and MD/PhDs. The CPVB COBRE supports five junior investigators who perform mentored vascular biology research in laboratories located at either Rhode Island Hospital or the Providence VAMC with core support from the Providence VAMC and Brown University.

All five principal investigators, Sean Monaghan, MD, Jessica Plavicki, PhD, Alan Morrison, MD, PhD, Yang Zhou, PhD, and Hongwei Yao, PhD; serve as a faculty member at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Read more about the principal investigators

Critical to the success of the researchers are their mentors, who will meet regularly with the principal investigators. Many of these mentors are clinical faculty at Rhode Island Hospital. Read more about the mentors

Learn more about the CardioPulmonary Vascular Biology COBRE at CPVB.org