The American Heart Association said it is partnering with The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group to offer two $1.5 million grants to fund heart disease research as part of the AHA-Allen Distinguished Investigator awards.
Grants will be awarded to pioneering researchers working on investigating cardiovascular disease, specifically the role of extracellular matrix, a network of protein fibers in tissue, in heart health and disease, AHA said in a release.
The extracellular matrix stores and transmits information for months, years and decade, often past the lives of many individual cells, AHA said. Understanding how the matrix tells cells to behave and how it stores long-term memory could alter the way cardiovascular disease is treated, AHA said.
“This collaboration between us and the American Heart Association is poised to make tremendous impact on the field of cardiovascular research,” Tom Skalak, executive director of The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, said in the release. “The role of the extracellular matrix in heart disease is a frontier topic ripe for exploration, and we are pleased to be embarking on this path of discovery with world-renowned experts in the field.”
Applicants can submit applications until May 10, and two recipients will be announced June 19.
“The American Heart Association and The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group are two like-minded organizations coming together to push in new directions to change the way science is done,” American Heart Association President Steven Houser said in the release. “We are pleased to stand shoulder to shoulder with The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group on the frontier of science to make meaningful strides toward solving cardiovascular disease.”
