Director, Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, USA                                                                                                                     

• Speaker, ​Cardiovascular Sciences, and Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorder Symposium, 18 Sep 2021

Dr Edward Lakatta is the Founder and Director of the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Science, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health.  In a sustained 30-plus-year commitment to a broad-based research career, his studies range from molecules to humans, including translation of novel findings into the clinical realm.

The overall goals of his research programme aim to:

1) identify age associated changes that occur within the cardiovascular system and to determine the mechanisms for these changes

2) determine how aging of the heart and vasculature interacts with chronic disease states to enhance the risk for CV diseases in older persons   

3) study basic mechanisms in excitation-contraction coupling and how these are modulated by surface receptor signaling pathways in cardiac cells

4) elucidate mechanisms of pacemaker activity in sinoatrial nodal cells

5) elucidate mechanisms that govern cardiac and vascular cell survival

6) to establish the potentials and limitations of new therapeutic approaches such as changes in lifestyle, novel pharmacologic agents or gene or stem cell transfer techniques in aging or disease states