CLEVELAND—New research is bringing science one critical step closer to understanding what causes cardiac arrest and potentially preventing it.
The American Heart Association (AHA) has granted Case Western Reserve University the Rapid Impact Research Award, a designation reserved for research the AHA considers urgent, high-priority and capable of delivering critical results to patients quickly.
Cody Rutledge, principal investigator and assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve’s School of Medicine , uncovered something that had previously gone unrecognized—that after cardiac arrest, the heart’s own repair system shuts down.
Specifically, he found that the mitochondrial ribosome—the molecular machine that builds the parts heart cells need to generate energy—stops working, leaving the heart unable to recover.
Every year, nearly 350,000 Americans suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, and only about one in 10 survive, according to the AHA . Patients who do survive face life-threatening heart damage and death in the hours and days following resuscitation.
Rutledge’s research team will now pursue two critical goals:
“Support from the American Heart Association will help us accelerate our research,” Rutledge said. “Perhaps most exciting is that our findings extend well beyond cardiac arrest.”
The molecular mechanisms Rutledge’s team are investigating—specifically the damage that occurs when blood-flow is cut off and then restored to an organ—are central to a wide range of devastating medical conditions, including heart attack and stroke during major surgery.
Any new treatment developed from Rutledge’s research could benefit millions of patients beyond those who suffer cardiac arrest.
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At Case Western Reserve, one of the nation’s leading research universities, we’re driven to seek knowledge and find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. Nearly 6,200 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate students from across 96 countries study in our more than 250 degree programs across arts, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing, science and social work. Our location in Cleveland, Ohio—a hub of cultural, business and healthcare activity—gives students unparalleled access to engaging academic, research, clinical, entrepreneurial and volunteer opportunities and prepares them to join our network of 125,000+ alumni making an impact worldwide. Visit case.edu to learn more.