Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine received a $25 million gift from the Smilow Foundation to establish the Smilow Center for Precision Therapeutics, which will focus on developing gene-editing and other precision therapies for cardiovascular disease.
Four things to know:
1. The center will focus on treatments targeting the underlying causes of heart disease, including research involving first-in-human clinical trials, according to an Oct. 8 health system news release.
2. Thomas Cappola, MD, will lead the center. He also serves as the William Smilow Professor and division chief of cardiovascular medicine at Penn Medicine.
3. The center will bring together researchers from cardiovascular medicine, physiology, pharmacology, bioengineering and radiology to develop treatments for cardiovascular disease. Its work will draw on research by Penn scientists, including Kiran Musunuru, MD, who has developed gene-editing therapies designed to permanently lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
4. The gift builds on the Smilow Foundation’s previous support of Penn Medicine, including funding for the Smilow Center for Translational Research and the William Smilow Professorship, which was established in 2012.
