The Dorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute (DHLRI) opened 25 years ago. From the start, we were one of the largest and most comprehensive institutes in the country devoted to cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal and metabolic disease. Thanks to you, our growth has been exponential. On this quarter-century anniversary, as we celebrate the DHLRI’s impact we also celebrate yours. Because you made it all possible.
This report includes a few highlights of the people, work and places you have supported, and how they have contributed to improving patient lives.
“Thanks to you who have so generously supported the DHLRI, we are building research momentum and advancing discoveries that will outlast all of us and will continue to have lifesaving impact for many years to come.”
–Thomas Hund, PhD
William D. and Jacquelyn L. Wells Chair
The Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute
| Fiscal Year 2001 | Fiscal Year 2024 | Increase | ||
| Total funding | $20 million | $76 million | $56 million | 280% |
| NHLBI* funding | $7.6 million | $40 million | $32.4 million | 426% |
| Member faculty | 60 | 233 | 173 | 288% |
*National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Part of the National Institutes of Health)
Research saves lives. It provides the foundation for understanding diseases and developing diagnostics and treatments that improve patient outcomes. It enhances personalized interventions and care as well as public health. These are a few examples of the breakthroughs you have helped advance in the last 25 years.
Mahmood Khan, MPharm, PhD, and team have developed a biodegradable nanofiber “patch” seeded with stem cells that beat like healthy heart cells. When applied to the heart after heart attack, the patch enhances the retention and survival of transplanted stem cells. Cell death is the greatest impediment to stem cell-based therapies. Next step: in-human trials given success in preclinical large animal models.
Not everyone with the same disease should be treated the same. Wandi Zhu, PhD, and team study how electrical signals at the cellular level influence health and disease, including thrombosis and cardiac arrythmias. They use human samples and zebrafish models to understand how electrical modulation may prevent and treat disease. Next step: validating new therapeutic targets tailored to each patient’s biology.
Vadim Fedorov, PhD , and team have perfected an imaging technique that reveals an unprecedented level of detail of the heart — 40,000 recordings vs 200 with current clinical imaging. John Hummel, MD, has used this 3D imaging to target ablations to treat AFib, nearly doubling the national average success rate at a year and a half post-ablation. Next step: use imaging to deliver other therapies with greater precision.
At any given time, more than 100,000 people are wait-listed for organ transplant in the U.S. Bryan Whitson, MD, PhD, and team research how to rehabilitate these limited and precious resources: donated organs. Through ex-vivo organ perfusion, they are increasing the number of viable organs and improving outcomes. Next step: improving organ assessment and rehabilitation.
Bryan Tillman, MD, PhD, and team designed a new stent to repair vessels without stopping blood flow, which is the main complication when using common surgical clamps. Once in place, the stent keeps bleeding off the field of operation. Once surgery is complete, the stent can be removed from the patient’s body. Next step: study other uses, such as for drug delivery and battlefield trauma.
Ana Mora, MD, is co-director of a new three-year post-doctoral program funded by the National Institutes of Health to train MD and PhD fellows on research approaches and treatment of age-related lung diseases. Trainees will develop expertise in many fields — biomedical informatics, hallmarks of aging and more. Next step: preparing aging-informed future leaders in lung research and care.
~250,000 sq. ft. of space in six campus buildings
~1,000 faculty, staff and trainees
8 colleges and 36 departments with collaborators' areas
800+ ongoing research studies
The DHLRI thrives on interdisciplinary innovation. By having physician-scientists next to engineers next to molecular cell biologists and trauma surgeon-scientists who share a common interest, we are solving complex health challenges faster and more effectively. Still, translating discoveries to the bedside takes time. Fortunately, we can count on generous supporters like you who understand stories like the following are worth our collective investment of time and resources.
Jared, 22, survived a high-risk aortic dissection thanks to Ohio State's interdisciplinary team of experts and innovations, including the retrievable rescue stent.
Judith, 58, found hope and personalized treatment from an Ohio State heart specialist intent on prioritizing women's health research and care.
Kyle, 27, benefited from a clinical trial at Ohio State that gave him a new kidney and a new life without the need for dialysis or antirejection medication.
There is something uniquely transcendent about research — every breakthrough leads to another one, every question we answer raises others. Being part of a ceaseless discovery journey to improve lives is a privilege, one all of us at the DHLRI are fortunate to embark on with you. Together, we are creating a better future by strategically seizing opportunities, such as artificial intelligence, and addressing urgent needs.
Implementing AI, machine learning and other modeling for data collection, analysis and sharing maximizes agility and collaboration while increasing our ability to personalize care. It also has great potential in improving early diagnosis and preventative care. An example: Ping Zhang, PhD, and team are using AI to predict the effects of different drug combinations on hypertension.
Women represent half of the world’s population. Yet, there is much to be learned about prevention, diagnosis and treatment that is specific to their unique needs and biology. Equitable care requires equitable research. An example: Kymberly Gowdy, MS, PhD, and team are studying lung disease, including asthma, in pregnant women, as well as pre/postnatal children, those with obesity and the elderly.
Franklin County’s 65+ group increased 50.3% between 2010 and 2022. It is predicted the 85+ group will increase ~25% by 2050. Research is essential to support healthy and increasingly prolonged cardiovascular, renal and lung aging. An example: Kristin Stanford, PhD, is collaborating with engineering counterparts to treat age-related heart disease.
10,500+ gifts since 2000
10,000+ individual donors
200+ supporting organizations
$111 million in donations
Some of our donors care most deeply about helping find disease-specific treatments. Others are passionate about the development of diagnostics that detect illness earlier and more accurately. Many hope an increased understanding of disease processes may help prevent illness all together.
What all our donors have in common is the vision to imagine a better future and the impulse and generosity to invest in it. Thank you.
The breakthroughs that are made each day at The Dorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute are in large part made possible by donor support.
Accelerating the pace of heart and lung research and discovery
Thomas Hund, PhD, removes barriers and makes research partnerships easier.
The heart disease puzzle: Why don’t all patients fare the same?
Richard Gumina, MD, PhD, studies genetic differences to personalize treatment.
Monitoring pulmonary artery pressure to reduce hospitalizations
A study co-led by William Abraham, MD, shows the value of implanted wireless monitor.
The scientific wonders of zebrafish for biomedical research
How Ohio State researchers study life processes via these translucent living laboratories.