Molecular Cardiology Research Center

The purpose of the Molecular Cardiology Research Center (MCRC) is to study the molecular mechanisms that underlie cardiovascular biology and disease. Richard Karas, M.D., Ph.D. , Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, is the Director of the MCRC and the Interim Chief Scientific Officer for Tufts Medical Center.  He is also Vice Chairman for Scientific Affairs for the Department of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center. Iris Jaffe, M.D., Ph.D. is the co-Director of the MCRC.  The MCRC is equipped for state-of-the-art molecular biological and biochemical research to study cardiovascular physiology and disease. At present, there are seven principal investigators and a total of 25 individuals who participate in the research efforts in the MCRC.
 
Research Focus and Highlights

Principal projects in the MCRC involve molecular vascular biology, and more specifically, signal transduction in vascular cells.  One major area of focus in the MCRC is the molecular mechanisms that regulate vascular tone.  Ongoing projects include cloning and characterization of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG)-interacting proteins, PKG regulation of thrombin receptor signaling, and characterization of interactions between Rho/Rho kinases, PKG and the myosin phosphatase.
 
A second major focus in the MCRC involves study of the molecular mechanisms of action of estrogens and other steroid hormones on cardiovascular health and disease. MCRC investigators first established that human vascular cells and cardiomyocytes contain functional estrogen receptors. This work established the cardiovascular system as a target for direct actions of estrogens and other steroid hormones.  One of the recently recognized direct effects of estrogen on the vasculature is that estrogen acts as a vasodilator. Ongoing studies are directed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms that mediate these novel estrogen actions in the cardiovascular system and developing newer, targeted therapies that avoid the side effect profiles of current hormone replacement therapies. 
 
Research Administrator: Patricia Griffiths-Rossiter