Scripps Research Opens Doors in 
Heart Disease Research

Heart Disease Advances at Scripps Research 

Treatment Found For Two Heart Ailments

Scripps Research scientist Jeffery W. Kelly researched a treatment for two types of fatal heart diseases caused by the abnormal folding of a protein called transthyretin. One of the ailments afflicts a million African- Americans and another is found in up to 15 percent of all Americans over the age of eighty. Researchers have found that in both of these diseases, the misfolded protein accumulates into sticky clumps and interferes with heart function. Dr. Kelly's research lead to the development of a treatment that has the potential to stop the misfolding process. Although the treatment is tailored for these two forms of heart disease, it is based on principles that may lead to similar therapies for other conditions caused by misfolded proteins, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Ozone in Our Bodies Linked to Increasing Risk
In a unique study performed by Scripps Research, scientists have found that the human body produces ozone. Scripps Research President Richard A. Lerner and Paul Wentworth, Jr., Ph.D. theorized that the ozone in our bodies could break down cholesterol molecules and produce toxic compounds in the blood. These toxic compounds, called atheronals, have been found in plaque removed from patients with atherosclerosis and may contribute to the development of other diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis. This discovery could lead to both a new diagnostic exam of atherosclerosis and to the creation of new preventive medicine.

Blood Flow Beneath a Microscope
Clotting is an important and necessary physiological process that sometimes leads to heart disease and stroke. Scripps Research Professor Zaverio Ruggeri studies the movement of platelets, the blood cells that are necessary for clotting. Ruggeri and his team have focused their research on understanding the architecture of adhesion proteins that mediate the formation of blood clots and receptors on platelets. Professor Ruggeri and his lab team are working to understand the differences between the processes of normal hemostasis, where bleeding is stopped after a cut, and pathological thrombosis, in which a clot of platelets occludes blood flow and causes cardiovascular disease. Distinguishing these two processes could be a stepping-stone in the discovery of a therapeutic intervention in vasculature disease.

New Approaches to Atherosclerosis
Scripps Research Professor Linda Curtiss and Associate Professor Peter Tobias are laying a foundation for further studies into the genetic background of families susceptible to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis, along with high cholesterol, increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States. Scientists at Scripps Research have found that the protein "TLR2" found on the surface of cells lining the arteries of mammals is a significant factor in atherosclerosis. This is a significant finding because it supports the concept of a therapeutic approach to eliminating heart disease aimed at counteracting the effect of TLR2. Dr. Curtiss's findings could help design a new drug to prevent the inflammation caused by the TLR2, which results in atherosclerosis.

About Scripps Research
Scripps Research is one of the world's largest, private nonprofit biomedical research facilities. Our scientists include three Nobel laureates, 19 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 270 faculty and scientific staff, 700 postdoctoral fellows, and 1,400 technical and support staff. Our level of biomedical investigation is magnifying the likelihood of the discovery of new treatments and cures for diseases such as heart disease.

Over two million people have already benefited from medicine initially researched, developed, and tested at Scripps Research. We are committed to our pioneering medical research – research that might one day transform heart disease into a thing of the past – but we need your help!

Your tax-deductible gift in support of heart disease research will help us
expand the frontiers of science and give hope to millions.

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