Cardiovascular Biorepository (CVBio)

Overview

Doctors and scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital have long been at the forefront of advances in medical research. At the Mass General Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, we are working to advance this legacy by pioneering new models of advanced, multispecialty integrated care, expanding patient education and prioritizing new, ground-breaking research initiatives by asking our patients to participate in a new project: the Cardiovascular Biorepository (CVBio).

A biorepository is a collection of blood and other biological samples that are obtained and stored for future investigation. It serves as a resource for clinicians and scientists who conduct research to learn how genes and other factors contribute to conditions such as heart and blood vessel diseases. Patients who participate allow our researchers to use information from their blood samples and medical history as tools for medical research. By taking part in this initiative, you are contributing to research that may help in predicting, preventing and treating diseases for generations to come.

The CVBio is designed to drive clinical and translational research, leading to greater integrated clinical care. At Mass General, we are leading the charge in translating discoveries in the lab to improvements in patient care, focusing not only on today's critical issues, but also by discovering the medicines of tomorrow. By supporting unparalleled cross-fertilization among various clinical areas, we are creating an environment in which information-sharing leads to innovation.

Contributing to the Future of Precision Medicine

The goal of the CVBio is to create a robust resource to support researchers who will contribute to the future of personalized medicine. We envision a future where doctors can treat patients with cardiovascular disease using methods that are precisely targeted to patients’ individual needs. The CVBio will help achieve this goal by:

• Incorporating innovative research into patient care  
• Providing opportunities for participants to take part in clinical studies
• Facilitating high-quality research in the areas of genetics and personalized medicine
• Fostering collaboration among researchers throughout the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center
• Encouraging scientific innovation and providing support to investigators to cultivate new ideas

Meet Our Team

Christopher Newton-Cheh, MD, MPH, principal investigator

Christopher Newton-Cheh, MD, MPH, is a complex trait geneticist and cardiovascular epidemiologist, and holds positions as an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a cardiologist in the Heart Failure/Transplant Section at Massachusetts General Hospital. His laboratory investigates dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertension, sudden cardiac death and drug cardiotoxicity. Dr. Newton-Cheh and his colleagues are leveraging the rapid growth of human genetics research to identify genetic variants that underlie these diseases, translate genetic discoveries into an improved understanding of human physiology through clinically-focused research, and define the role of genetics and other factors in predicting patients’ risk of disease. Dr. Newton-Cheh is on the faculty of the Center for Human Genetic Research and the Cardiovascular Research Center, both of Mass General and Harvard Medical School, and is an associate member at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. He trained in internal medicine and cardiology at Mass General. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in complex trait genetics at the Broad Institute with Joel N. Hirschhorn, MD, PhD

Natacha Lorius, BA, project manager

Natacha Lorius, BA, is the clinical research project manager for the Cardiovascular Biorepository. She is responsible for the development and implementation of the initiative across the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, overseeing patient enrollment in the biorepository and providing managerial, logistical and administrative direction for the Cardiovascular Biorepository and the study staff.

Aaron Eisman, BS, data manager

Aaron Eisman, BS, is the data Mmnager for the Cardiovascular Biorepository. Aaron has a strong computer and data management knowledge base and has worked at Mass General as a clinical research coordinator. He is currently a medical student at Brown University and continues to work on the CVBio team. Aaron received a Bachelor of Science in applied Mathematics from Brown University.

Kaitlyn Sullivan, BS, clinical research coordinator

Kaitlyn Sullivan, BS, clinical research coordinator for the Cardiovascular Biorepository. She assists with patient recruitment for various studies, as well as process biological samples. She received a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and is working towards a Master of Science in evolutionary ecology at the University at Buffalo (SUNY).

Patricia Giunta, BA, MA, clinical research coordinator

Patricia Giunta, BA, MA, is a clinical research coordinator for the Cardiovascular Biorepository. Patricia recruits Heart Center patients into CVBio and processes biological samples for researchers. She received a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and a Master of Arts from the University of Notre Dame.

Publications

Full list of publications