# Vanderbilt Hypertension and Blood Pressure Regulation Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $314,928

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This is a new program to train the next generation of scientists in the fields of hypertension and blood
pressure regulation. These conditions represent enormous health care problems. The new American Heart
Association and American College of Cardiology Guidelines now classify almost 50% of the adult
population as being hypertensive. Autonomic dysfunction, manifested by syncope, presyncope and
postural intolerance, becomes increasingly common with age and is terribly disabling. Despite the
commonality of these disorders, their precise etiology remains poorly defined. Moreover, they often
associated with and share underlying mechanisms with other cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. It is
therefore mandatory that we train and develop outstanding scientists to pursue these related areas of
investigation. We propose to ultimately include 4 post-doctoral fellows and 2 predoctoral graduate students
in Vanderbilt Hypertension and Blood Pressure Regulation (VHBPR) program. These trainees will be
involved in three related facets of research. One has to do with understanding mechanisms of hypertension
and end organ damage and the role inflammation and immune activation. Members of the VHBPR have led
the field in defining mechanisms of immune activation in hypertension and related fields and this has
evolved into a new understanding of the vascular, renal and cerebral dysfunction and damage that occurs
in this and associated cardiovascular illnesses. Trainees involved in these programs will become familiar
with an emerging area of immunology as it pertains to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The
second important area of investigation is conducted by our Vanderbilt Autonomic Dysfunction Center. This
center performs translational research involving laboratory, animal and clinical research. A third major area
of investigation relates to bioinformatics of hypertension and drug responses. These studies are greatly
facilitated by the BioVu database (the Vanderbilt DNA database) that contains DNA for >300,000 patients
and the Synthetic derivative (de-identified medical records linked to BioVu) and are facilitated by our
Division of Genetic Medicine and Center for Personalized Medicine. Our trainees will have the opportunity
to initiate studies on medication-resistant hypertension, as more than 15,000 BioVU subjects with
documented medication-resistant hypertension will have genome interrogation completed by 2018,
including a large number of African American subjects. In addition to these laboratory research
experiences, the VHBPR program includes seminars, didactic lectures and specialized course work
devoted to career development, leadership, responsible conduct of research and work life balance. In
addition to this core curriculum, trainees in specialized areas will participate in tailored coursework and
workshops related to their specific areas of investigation. The ultimate goal is to train successful scientists
that will successfully com...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9851930
- **Project number:** 5T32HL144446-02
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** David G Harrison
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $314,928
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9851930

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9851930, Vanderbilt Hypertension and Blood Pressure Regulation Program (5T32HL144446-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9851930. Licensed CC0.

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