Cash injection for vascular drug development

London, ON – Bayer says it is providing $100,000 to cardiovascular research at Robarts Research Institute.

The funds establish the Bayer Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory, which will be led by Robarts deputy scientific director Dr Ross Feldman. Dr Feldmans research aims to understand the mechanisms regulating vascular tone and how those mechanisms are altered in the vascular diseases that precede atherosclerosis.

Robarts has enjoyed a multi-faceted relationship with Bayer since its creation more than 20 years ago, says Dr Cecil Rorabeck, scientific director at Robarts. We are very thankful for Bayers continued support and look forward to the discoveries that will be made in this revitalized laboratory.

In addition to the institutes close affiliation with Bayer, Dr Feldman himself has a long-standing connection with the pharmaceutical company, having worked with it to develop continuing health education programs as well as serving on a number of Bayer advisory boards.

Robarts deputy scientific director since 2001, Dr Feldman is director of clinical pharmacology for the clinical trials research group and a member of the cell biology and vascular biology groups. He is also active at a public policy level in improving hypertension management and control rates in Canada.

In a series of studies, Dr Feldman’s lab discovered the molecular basis underlying the inability of blood vessels to relax in patients with high blood pressure and how this defect could be reversed. In 1993, Dr. Feldmans discovery that insulin affects blood vessels helped advance the understanding of how diseases like diabetes, obesity and hypertension lead to cardiovascular disease. His labs discovery that the hormone aldosterone (long known to act on kidney cells in the regulation of electrolytes) produces a direct cardiovascular effect has influenced treatment for both hypertension and heart disease.