UTICA, N.Y. — The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded a $3.7 million grant to support a project led by Chase Kessinger, principal investigator and assistant professor of biomedical research and translational medicine at Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI).
Kessinger will use the funding to research pulmonary embolism (PE), the third most-common cause of cardiovascular death.
“We are thankful to the NHLBI for their support of Dr. Kessinger’s research,” MMRI Executive Director Maria Kontaridis said in a news release announcing the grant. “We are confident this work will have a profound and lasting impact on the future of cardiovascular health.”
The five-year study aims to use advanced imaging techniques to understand how the size and age of blood clots impact lung inflammation and scarring, according to a press release from MMRI. Advanced imaging techniques may also allow researchers to measure the effectiveness of clot-dissolving therapies.
“PE is a devastating cardiovascular ailment that can lead to drastic reductions in quality of life and chronic, long-lasting limitations,” Kessinger said in the press release. “This project aims to help clinicians better diagnose and treat patients with PE.”
PE is a sudden blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs. Usually caused by a blood clot that traveled from a deep vein to the lungs, which can happen during extended periods of immobility, and prevents blood from flowing properly.
Kessinger specializes in integrating translational imaging techniques and novel diagnostics and therapeutic agents to study and treat cardiovascular disease with the goal of finding tools to better identify and target blood clots to prevent PE.
“We’re conducting groundbreaking research right here in the Mohawk Valley,” he said. “This funding will empower us to support talented scientists and their transformative projects in Utica, fostering a thriving world-class scientific community.”
MMRI’s research focuses on the causes of cardiovascular, neurocognitive, and autoimmune diseases.