Program ID: Innovation Anthology #297
Program Date: 03/11/2010
Program Category: Health and Medicine
Alberta HEART Researches Cause of Diastolic Heart Failure
In Alberta, about 80,000 people suffer from heart failure About half of those patients have what’s called diastolic heart failure.
According to Dr. Jason Dyck at the University of Alberta, this means the heart muscle becomes too stiff and fails to properly relax after each beat.
The problem is, very little is known about what causes this condition.
Dr. Dyck hopes to change that, through a new research program called Alberta HEART. This is funded through the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Endowment Fund.
DR. JASON DYCK: Well what we’re trying to do is obviously develop new diagnostic criteria and treatment strategies for patients with heart failure. We want to establish ourselves as world leaders in diastolic heart failure research. And what we are trying to do is by bringing this team together, we are trying to make rapid progress in better defining what diastolic heart failure is, understand what causes it and again to develop new methods to clearly diagnose and eventually develop effective treatments for this condition.
Dr. Jason Dyck and his colleagues at Alberta HEART are looking for a thousand patient volunteers to help in their research.
Thanks today to Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions.
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY,
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
