Our support to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston, has funded a research project focused on understanding the mechanism behind dilated cardiomyopathy caused by a genetic mutation. Dr Christine Seidman, who has dedicated her career to investigating the genetic predisposition to cardiovascular disease, is advancing her pioneering studies to understand, diagnose, and treat dilated cardiomyopathy a heart muscle disease inherited by up to one-third of those who are diagnosed.

The Choudhrie Family Foundation’s generous gift will help us define the genetic variants of dilated cardiomyopathy and develop more targeted care, says Seidman. Knowing the disease’s cause will help make earlier diagnoses, identify people at risk, and test new treatment strategies. The progress we have made in the last five years has been phenomenal.

Seidman’s work ranges from building molecule prototypes that prevent or slow down the decrease of heart function to testing these molecules effectiveness in clinical trials. In late 2016, she earned the Joseph A. Vita Award from the American Heart Association for her laboratory’s transformative achievements in identifying the molecular basis for inherited forms of heart failure, including dilated cardiomyopathy.