The Cardio-Oncology Research Group brings together basic scientists from the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute (MCRI) with clinician-investigators from the Cardiology and Oncology Divisions at Tufts Medical Center and at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University along with scientists at Tufts University Schools of Medicine and Engineering and statisticians and population researchers in the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies (ICRHPS) and the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). Together, the goal of the Cardio-Oncology Research Group is to advance our understanding of genetic, biological and clinical factors that contribute to the cardiovascular side effects of cancer therapies, to identify biomarkers of toxicity that can be employed to improve clinical care and to determine therapies to mitigate the side effects of cancer treatment. The group uses a one-health approach to develop a cross-species platform that includes cellular and model organisms, canine cancer patients and human cancer patients to investigate novel mechanisms, biomarkers and therapies to improve cardiovascular outcomes in cancer patients.

The goal is to advance our global understanding of genetic, biological, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors that contribute to heart and blood vessel health in women, and to determine how these mechanisms differ from men and change when women develop cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in women. The group is focused on understanding how women’s cardiovascular health changes over the lifespan and the disproportionate impact of risk factors (ie obesity, preeclampsia, diabetes) on women’s health.