Discovering answers for women’s hearts
Here is a hard truth: We don’t know enough about heart disease in women. Not yet. Until recently, women have been treated based on medical research done on men. With the support of a dynamic community of donors, the Women’s Heart Center is creating a new understanding to bridge this gap.
Through laboratory research and clinical trials, we seek solutions that will help more women survive and even prevent heart disease. In the Barbra Streisand Women’s Cardiovascular Research and Education Program, our studies target early detection, risk factors, promising drugs, and lifestyle choices for maximum impact.
Testing the best new ideas
For example, we are investigating the use of less-invasive MRI technology for cardiac screening. At the same time, we are advancing treatments for microvascular coronary dysfunction, an often deadly disorder primarily affecting women. Our specialists are identifying gender-specific genes and proteins involved in heart disease and putting new drugs to the test. In another very exciting area of research, we are studying the potential of using female stem cells, normally present in women’s blood streams, to repair the heart and restore heart function in women and men alike.
We have already identified better treatments for women who have chest pain but no visible artery blockage. We have also clarified the relationship between estrogen levels and heart disease in premenopausal women, and we are examining the value of acupuncture in coronary heart disease.
Clinical research
Women have been seriously underrepresented in clinical cardiac research. To involve more women, we established the Women’s Health Registry. Through our growing list of investigations and programs, we are taking on women’s heart disease from all angles.