Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

Cardiovascular Biology Research Program - Early-career scientists led a watershed year for the study of diseases of the heart, blood and circulatory system. Together, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in this program earned 11 research grants and fellowships, which could blaze new treatment paths for illnesses ranging from heart attack and stroke to diabetes-related vision loss. Meanwhile, the program's leader, Dr. Lijun Xia, led research that could one day lead to a new drug to treat the pain crises in sickle cell disease. Finally, an experimental therapy born from discoveries in this program began clinical trials in patients with hemophilia, the inherited blood disorder that can be life-threatening.

Aging and Metabolism Research Program - Drs. Michael Beckstead and Harris Blankenship made a groundbreaking discovery that could one day transform the lives of Alzheimer's patients. In experiments with mice genetically engineered to develop a condition that mimics Alzheimer's disease, they found that dopamine - a brain chemical associated with behavioral rewards - could play a crucial role in causing the deadly, memory-robbing disease. The scientists published their findings in 2024 in the influential scientific journal Nature Communications. "We've at least cracked the surface of something that might slow down this terrible disease," said Beckstead. "With more work, we hope we can make a big difference."

Other program services include departments such as Cell Cycle and Cancer Biology, Genes and Human Disease, Center for Biomedical Data Sciences and other scientific and research support services.