Mohsin Khan and Haruhiro Toko were given the awards by the American Heart Association.
Two SDSU post-doctoral fellows will receive the American Heart Association (AHA) postdoctoral fellowship award for their cardiovascular research.
Mohsin Khan and Haruhiro Toko were given the awards for their excellent proposals and prior training, as well as the research environment in Mark Sussman’s biology research lab. The awards, which support the best science in advancing cures for cardiovascular disease and stroke, are effective July 2011 to June 2013.
Before their training as postdoctoral fellows at SDSU, Kahn was in charge of a stem cell research program in Lahore, Pakistan, while Toko was part of a top-rated national cardiovascular research laboratory in Japan.
The American Heart Association is helping to launch the careers of two very promising young researchers with these awards...
Kahn’s work involves ways to enhance stem cell-mediated regeneration of the heart and specifically targets cardiac regeneration, a hot topic right now, while Toko’s research studies the molecular signaling involved in heart growth, survival and failure. Both projects focus on ways to mitigate damage to the heart following pathological injury.
“The projects that Mohsin and Haruhiro were funded to pursue represent the cutting edge of cardiovascular research and show that the work we do here at SDSU is recognized for excellence by the cardiovascular research community on a national level,” Sussman said.
“The American Heart Association is helping to launch the careers of two very promising young researchers with these awards and the students of SDSU will benefit from training with them on their important work.”
Hundreds of applications are received each year by the AHA for the fellowship awards, which help launch careers in cardiovascular and stroke research for individuals not yet ready for independent research.
Under the supervision of a sponsor or mentor, the recipients work toward obtaining significant research results in new interventional strategies to treat heart disease.
About the American Heart Association
Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke —America’s first- and third-most killers.
The American Heart Association funds cutting-edge research, conducts lifesaving public and professional educational programs and advocates to protect public health.