ORLANDO, Nov. 4 — The American Heart Association awarded its 2007 Basic Research Prize to Kenneth E. Bernstein, M.D., of Emory University in Atlanta, for “seminal discoveries contributing vital understanding of basic mechanisms involved in blood pressure control.”
Bernstein was honored for his work identifying and cloning the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and angiotensin II type 1 receptor, along with that receptor’s unique signaling pathway.
His findings “opened a floodgate of studies of this receptor, the blocking of which is now a major approach in the treatment of hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure and diabetic nephropathy,” said Daniel Jones, M.D., American Heart Association president.
Jones presented the prize during the opening of the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. The $5,000 award is made annually to recognize outstanding achievement in basic cardiovascular research.
“Dr. Bernstein’s findings set new benchmarks for hypertension research that have been followed by many investigators,” Jones said. “These discoveries represent a paradigm shift in helping to understand what happens at the cellular level in response to angiotensin II and its effects on inflammation, which contributes to blood pressure elevation and vascular disease.
“The world is closer to the goal of conquering hypertension and related diseases, thanks to these highly productive investigations,” Jones said.
A graduate of New York University School of Medicine, Bernstein has been on the Emory faculty since 1987. He is the Distinguished Service Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Science at the university, a position created for him in 2001. He is actively engaged in ongoing research seeking to further advance the understanding of ACE and the renin-angiotensin system in individual tissues.