CVRI is broadly inclusive of investigators at UVM and exists to foster cardiovascular research. We include and serve members of multiple departments, and our key objectives are to:

• improve communication across disciplines, departments, and colleges;
• increase collaboration;
• increase funding to support cardiovascular research;
• advance and highlight excellence in research
• support career development with an emphasis on early career investigators; and
• broadly promote an inclusive culture

Research in cardiovascular disease and stroke is critical to the health of the nation—in the U.S., heart disease and stroke are the #1 and #5 causes of death, and stroke is the #1 cause of disability. Current funding levels do not match this burden.

The CVRI fosters cardiovascular research by bringing investigators together from multiple disciplines to promote synergy.  Two areas of focus for the institute are vascular biology and cardiac muscle research.  Cardiovascular researchers are internationally known and have expertise in basic and clinical research as well as large-scale epidemiology studies. 

In vascular biology, we study a range of topics in animals and humans, from the molecule to the individual cell to the whole organism. Particularly strong areas include thrombosis, blood vessel structure and function (particularly in the brain but not limited to this), hemodynamics, and new less invasive treatments for valvular heart disease.  In cardiac muscle, we study the cellular and organ-based origins of disease, using molecular and biophysical perspectives, to understand and prevent disorders that reduce cardiac muscle function.  Study on techniques of cardiac rehabilitation are also featured.

Throughout all CVRI activities, we focus on developing the next generation of scientists and a significant portion of our resources goes to financial support of this critical activity.

Dr. Sobel was Founding Director of CVRI from its inception to 2013 and University Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry at UVM, where his research was in the connection between diabetes and heart disease.

After graduating Harvard Medical School magna cum laude, he completed his internship and residency at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and a fellowship at the NHLBI. He then held academic and leadership positions at the University of California, San Diego (Director, Myocardial Infarction Research Unit), Washington University and Barnes Hospital in Saint Louis (Director, Cardiovascular Division), and UVM (Chair, Department of Medicine).

His research accomplishments included:

• Development of techniques to quantify the extent of myocardial infarction--work that has had a major impact on how patients with acute MI are treated and has led to a reduction of mortality secondary to treatments;
• Pioneering coronary thrombolysis with the use of t-PA--work that provided a foundation for later clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of coronary thrombolysis with clot-selective agents, heparin, and aspirin; and
• Delineation of mediators of deleterious effects of hyperinsulinemia--work that is helping to elucidate the pathophysiology of macrovascular angiopathy and heart failure in type 2 diabetes.

He received many prestigious awards; led diverse research and training programs funded by the NIH, ADA, and AHA; published more than 800 manuscripts; edited major cardiovascular and medical scientific journals; and held several patents.

A "Sobel Visiting Professorship" has been instituted to honor Dr. Sobel.

CVRI-VT fosters research by coordinating use of equipment or sharing of technical resources among investigators. We recognize that key to the ability to conduct meaningful, impactful research is access to highly skilled technicians, state of the art equipment, and appropriate funding--however it is not always possible or fiscally prudent to purchase specialized equipment or find technicians with very specific skill sets.

By serving as a bridge between investigators with equipment assets and those needing equipment and between highly skilled technicians with availability to provide services and investigators needing those skills, CVRI-VT plays a critical role in making ground-breaking research a reality.

The links to the right provide information on the equipment and services currently available for use in collaborative research initiatives.  Investigators are encouraged to identify and alert us to equipment or services that can be shared; investigators who use these resources will be expected to share in the costs associated with that use.

The Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research (LCBR) provides high quality assays for clinical research including general chemistries, coagulation, fibrinolysis, hematology, inflammation, cardiac and kidney function, glucose metabolism, fibrosis, vitamins, and immune system function including cell-based assays. LCBR is capable of running multiplex assays that use very small sample volumes to generate results on many analytes concurrently.  It can also extract and analyze DNA and serve as a biorepository, providing proper, labeling, storage, and retrieval of biospecimens.

The Laboratory of Human Genetics and Genomics at UVM is available to provide research support in the area of genome-wide genotyping.  Investigators preparing grant proposals that include a genetics component are encouraged to contact the lab early in the proposal process to ensure that the required resources will be available.  Genetics and genomics data obtained through the laboratory's research may also be available to investigators.

Skilled technicians provide can perform or provide expertise in:

Small animal surgical procedures:

• aortic banding,
• generation of myocardial infarction and transient ischemia followed by reperfusion
• middle cerebral artery occlusion model of focal stroke (with or without reperfusion)
• unilateral carotid artery occlusion
• carotid wire injury model of restenosis
• femoral cuff procedure
• performance and interpretation of echocardiograms
• placental ischemia model of preeclampsia (reduced uteroplacental perfusion)
• osmotic minipump placement
• assistance in developing other surgical model.

Large animal surgical procedures:

• Handling, restraint or anesthesia (injected or inhaled) of any laboratory animal species
• Surgical procedure preparations including instrument preparation/sterilization, providing surgical supplies (solutions, drapes, sutures etc.) and PPE (gown, mask, gloves, etc.)
• Routine animal procedures including injections (IV, SQ, IA, IM), gavage, lavage, immunizations, blood sampling, and catheterizations
• Specialized diagnostic/imaging procedures including ECG, X-rays, Fluoroscopy, CT scans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Ultrasound (Echo)
• Minor surgical or catheter based procedures including pellet implants, hemodynamic measurements, angiography, ablations, electrophysiologic recordings, and catheter based location specific drug delivery or fluid sampling
• Course support for laproscopic, temporal bone, skull base, cadaver dissections, peripheral nerve, electrophysiology and  non-animal microvascular suturing
• Tissue harvesting and related processing including cryo preservation.

• Stago STA-R Automated Coagulation analyzer for coagulation and immunoturbidmetric assays.
• Dade Behring BNII Nephelometer for protein assays.
• BioTek Elx808 Ultra Microplate Reader and a Molecular Devices Spectra Max 250 for fluorescence and absorbance ELISA and Kinetic assays.
• Bio-Rad BioPlex Protein Array Systems for fluorescent bead-based Luminex technology to simultaneously analyze up to 100 targets in a single microplate well.
• Perkin Elmer Wizard2 gamma counter for RIA.
• Roche Elecsys2010 for specialized chemistries using electrochemiluminescence technology.
• Roche Cobas Integra 400 Plus for general chemistries.
• Beckman Coulter LH 500 cell counter
• Tosoh G8 hematology analyzer
• Beckman Coulter Z series particle counter for cell concentrations.
• Polarstar Optima filter-based multidetection microplate reader offering 5 detection modes and simultaneous dual emission detection used for quantification of DNA by pico green method.
• MJ Research Programmable thermocyclers (4) for PCR.
• ABI Prism 7900 DNA Sequence Detector for TaqMan-based SNP analysis.
• Thermo Scientific NanoDrop spectrophotometer for quantification of DNA
• Vevo 770 High-resolution Imaging System (VisualSonics, Toronto, Ontario)
• Fluoroscopy suite
• Beckman Counter Epics Elite Flow Cytometer
• For anesthesia and surgery:
  • Steam and gas sterilization equipment
  • Anesthesia delivery systems
  • Vaporizers - isoflurane, halothane, sevoflurane
  • Ventilators - for all laboratory species
  • Surgical table - radio opaque with power lift
  • Surgical lighting
  • Thermostatic control
  • Fluid management
  • Stereotaxic stabilization
  • Stereoscopic dissecting microscopes
  • Surgical instruments - many specialized
  • Electro-surgical/cautery units
  • Intensive care recovery caging
  • Defibrillators
• For mouse or rat surgery:
  • Side-by-side mouse surgery set-ups
  • Ziess Surgical Scopes, some with camera mounts
  • Ziess Stemi with camera and monitor (for training)
  • Water bath heating pads
  • Mini-vent, mouse ventilators
  • Topo Ventilator, rat
  • Inspira Ventilator, rat
  • Glass bead sterilizers
  • Intubation stands
  • Rat cardiac probes
  • Mouse cardiac probes
  • Imaging station (integrated rail system for animal and probe)
  • Coda Non-invasive Blood Pressure System (8 channels
• Monitoring and Measurement
  • ECG and hemodynamic monitoring
  • O2 and CO2 monitoring
  • Blood gas/electrolyte analysis
  • Respiratory function
  • Blood pressure, volume
  • Blood flow - vascular and tissue
  • Dimensions - vascular and tissue
  • Temperature - thermocouple and optical
  • Fluoroscopy - digital image storage C-Arm
  • 3D catheter-based imaging
  • Electrophysiologic monitoring/recording
  • Non-invasive monitoring - CPP, ICP, and ICT
  • Video activity monitoring - web-based, 24/7
• Specialized Equipment
  • Stimulators
  • Power injector
  • Infusion pumps
  • Ablation delivery device
  • Pacemakers and leads
  • Pacemaker interrogator/programmer
  • Pipette puller
  • Voltage clamp
  • Volume clamp
  • Oscilloscopes
  • CPR programmable "thumper"
  • Fluid percussion delivery device
  • Heart-lung bypass pump
• Microsurgery teaching laboratory
  • Dual head articulating microscopes (7)
  • Overhead LCD monitors