Program areas at OMRF
Arthritis and Clinical Immunology/Clinical Operations - The National Institutes of Health selected a pair of projects led by OMRF as part of its new Immune Drivers of Autoimmune Disease program, which casts light on early events in diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists also teamed up to renew two major federal grants, one targeted at building Oklahoma's clinical research infrastructure and improving the health of the state's citizens, the other supporting arthritis and autoimmune disease research at OMRF and across the US. In addition, researchers published studies advancing our knowledge of autoimmune diseases, which affect an estimated 25 million Americans, and provided compassionate care to thousands of patients living with multiple sclerosis, lupus and various forms of arthritis.
Cardiovascular Biology Research Program - This year was marked by a watershed discovery. In each of us, heart valves open and close approximately 40 million times a year, permitting proper blood flow when they open and preventing leakage when they close. Unfortunately, in roughly 7 million Americans, those valves don't function properly. Over time, this condition leads to impaired quality of life, disability and, ultimately, heart failure. In 2023, Dr. Sathish Srinivasan identified a molecule that shows promise for preventing heart valve disease. Future research will build on this breakthrough, with the goal of finding a treatment for the millions of people who live with this debilitating, life-threatening disease.
Aging and Metabolism Research Program - This program added two principal scientists in 2023, both of whom will accelerate our work in crucial areas. Dr. Heather Rice focuses on the protein amyloid beta, which is believed to play a central role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. And Dr. Sue Bodine is an international leader in the study of muscle loss as we grow older. These researchers will complement the work of our existing scientific team, who secured a series of new grants from federal and nonprofit funders. With the awards, we will continue to develop a deeper understanding of a broad spectrum of age-related health conditions, from dementia and vision loss to heart disease and diabetes.
Other program services include departments such as Cell Cycle and Cancer Biology, Genes and Human Disease, Genetic Models of Disease and other scientific and research support services.