External picture of the CVC building
Cardiovascular Medicine Research

The commitment to excellence through collaboration, teamwork and innovation is the basis for success for the Frankel Cardiovascular Center research programs. Continuing efforts to support a culture of collaboration, encourage creative thinking, and maintain infrastructure for both basic science and clinical research allow the Frankel Cardiovascular Center to remain at the cutting edge of science and discovery.
More about our research


T32 Training Programs

Key Basic Science & Translational Research Areas

  • Arrhythmia
  • Cardiac Myocyte Biology
  • Cardiovascular Genetics
  • Tissue and Cell Regeneration
  • Vascular and Thrombosis Biology

Key Clinical Research Areas

  • Acute and Chronic Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Aging and the Cardiovascular System
  • Aortic Disease
  • Arrhythmia
  • Cardiac Imaging
  • Heart Valve Disease
  • Health Services and Clinical Effectiveness
  • Heart Failure and LVAD
  • Hypertension and Pulmonary Hypertension
  • Stroke
  • Structural Heart Disease
  • Thrombosis and DVT

Learn more about our clinical research
RESEARCH CENTERS, PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES

The Cardiovascular Health Improvement Project is a biorepository of DNA, plasma, serum, and aortic tissue samples as well as an extensive clinical database of medical and family history information.

The Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory generates patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for basic science research purposes.

The Center for Advanced Models for Translational Sciences and Therapeutics strives to accelerate the “bench to bedside” process in biomedical research and drug development with the mission of developing advanced models for translational sciences and therapeutics as part of the University of Michigan Medical School.

At the Center for Arrhythmia Research, scientists and physicians from a variety of disciplines work together to develop new methods of diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases, with the primary goal of preventing premature cardiac death. Our scientists have made major advances in understanding the molecular and cellular basis for and the fundamental mechanisms of complex, life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.

The Michigan Biological Research Initiative on Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Disease (M-BRISC) aims to increase investigation designed to understand the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease that differentially affect women and factors underlying the health of women.

Michigan Biology of Cardiovascular Aging is a multidisciplinary science program focused on aging and cardiovascular disease that enhances collaborative research knowledge between established investigators, team members, and others whose work and interests closely relate.

Launched in 2011 and based in the U-M Office of the Vice President for Research, the Michigan–Israel Partnership for Research and Education (MIPRE) is a collaboration among researchers at the University of Michigan, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and the Weizmann Institute of Science. The MIPRE's mission is to facilitate relationships across disciplines and across the globe to advance the most promising areas of medicine, science, and engineering.

MAP is an interdisciplinary program with over 20 faculty representatives from cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, interventional radiology, cardiac imaging, medical genetics, and cardiovascular medicine. MAP faculty are conducting innovative research across a wide spectrum, including FDA-regulated trials, NIH-funded trials, Department of Defense contracts, and investigator-initiated projects, all specific to aortic disease.
Faculty Lab Websites

Abdel-Latif Lab

  • Research in the Abdel-Latif lab focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying heart failure and investigating the intricate involvement of the immune system in this process. (Ahmed Abdel-Latif, MD, PhD)

Brody Lab

  • The Brody lab is broadly focused on the molecular signals that underlie cardiac disease onset and progression. (Matthew Brody, PhD)

Byrd Lab

  • Research in the Byrd lab focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure through the identification of novel biomarkers of mineralocorticoid receptor activation. (J. Brian Byrd, MD, MS)

Espinoza-Foneseca Lab

  • The goal of the Espinoza-Fonseca group is to understand the fundamental molecular motions and interactions that are responsible for regulating calcium transport in muscle cells. (L. Michel Espinoza-Fonseca, PhD)

Ganesh Lab

  • The Ganesh lab studies the genetics of vascular diseases leading to phenotypes such as fibromuscular dysplasia, spontaneous coronary artery dissection, visceral artery aneurysms, and other typically non-aortic arterial aneurysms and dissections. (Santhi Ganesh, MD)

Goldstein Lab

  • The Goldstein lab is interested in how aging impacts innate immunity, focusing on aging and respiratory viral infections and aging and vascular diseases. (Daniel Goldstein, MBBS)

Hayek Lab

  • Research in the Hayek lab centers on the novel use of biomarkers for predictive and prevention-based diagnoses and disease treatment. (Salim Hayek, MD)

Kanthi Lab

  • The Kanthi lab investigates the mechanisms of dysregulated vascular and innate immune signals in thrombosis and inflammation. (Yogen Kanthi, MD)

Lawrence Lab

  • The Lawrence lab studies the role of proteases and their inhibitors in health and disease, primarily focusing on the vascular biology of the CNS and disorders such as stroke; and on the development of peripheral vascular disease. (Daniel A. Lawrence, PhD)

Morrissey Lab

  • The research conducted in the Morrissey lab focuses on understanding how cells regulate blood clotting in health and disease. (James H. Morrissey, PhD)

Willer Lab

  • The Willer lab focuses on the analysis of high-throughput genetic data to understand the biological basis of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. (Cristen Willer, PhD)