The Krannert Institute of Cardiology is active in a broad range of basic and clinical research areas, including collaborative research with several basic science and other clinical departments.
Areas of Focus
The basic science research spans studies on ion channels and gap junctions to membrane proteins, molecular genetics, angiogenesis and vascular remodeling, and basic cardiac electrophysiology studies. Basic interactions of the autonomic nervous system in ischemic heart disease and mechanisms of clinical arrhythmias remain important electrophysiology areas of focus.
A novel area of focus is the investigation of stem and progenitor cells in cardiovascular disease, including the progressively important disorders of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Clinical trials are underway in each of our clinical programs, and Krannert remains a core electrocardiography laboratory for clinical studies. In the area of acute coronary syndromes, our interventional cardiologists are conducting trials involving novel antithrombotic regimens and drug-eluting stents, as well as vascular protein devices. Krannert cardiologists remain major investigators and leaders in trials of revascularization strategies in patients with diabetes at IU Health and Roudebush Veterans Administration hospitals.
Accomplished Faculty Providers
Although the Krannert Institute of Cardiology has always been committed to comprehensive cardiovascular care, it has had particular focus and prominence in several key areas. These include clinical and basic electrophysiology (disorders of heart rhythm), a focus initiated by Dr. Charles Fisch, MD (director until 1990), and expanded by Douglas Zipes, MD (director from 1994 through 2004), who remains active at the Institute. This tradition continued with Peng-Sheng Chen, MD, also an internationally recognized electrophysiologist and basic scientist, who served as director until 2020. Today the institute is led by Subha Raman, MD, MSEE.
A second area of focus has been echocardiography (ultrasound imaging of the heart). Harvey Feigenbaum, MD, who remains head of the Krannert echocardiography laboratories, is the father of clinical echocardiography and the author of its definitive text.
Current Achievements
More recent areas of research focus include vascular biology, developmental myocardial biology, and intracellular calcium metabolism. In the clinical arena, there are focused programs in advanced heart care (congestive heart failure and cardiac transplantation) and invasive cardiac and peripheral vascular intervention, as well as prevention.
In 2017, Medtronic Zipes Chair in Cardiology Peng-Sheng Chen, MD, was awarded Techpoint’s Innovation of the Year honors at the technology group’s annual ceremony. Chen’s work to develop technology that could detect cardiac emergencies is part of his work with Arrhythmotech, an IU-based startup.