SAN FRANCISCO, CA May 7, 2007The Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) announced today that GICD Director, Deepak Srivastava has received the 2007 prestigious E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society for Pediatric Research. Bestowed annually since 1939 by the Society for Pediatric Research, the E. Mead Johnson Award recognizes outstanding clinical and research accomplishments in pediatrics.

Dr. Srivastava was honored for his work in discovering the intricate networks that regulate normal and abnormal cardiogenesis, along with his contributions in understanding the genetic causes of human cardiac malformations.

Im proud to be a part of this long tradition of excellence in pediatric science, said Dr. Srivastava. While Im very honored to receive this award, I am also reminded of the quality of research represented by those who have preceded me.

Dr. Srivastavas research focuses on understanding the causes of heart disease and on using knowledge of cardiac developmental pathways to devise novel therapeutics for human cardiac disorders. Specifically, he studies the molecular events regulating early and late developmental decisions that instruct progenitor cells to adopt a cardiac cell fate and subsequently fashion a functioning heart. Dr. Srivastava seeks ways to use these pathways to prevent congenital defects and treat acquired heart disease. They also seek to identify the causes of human cardiovascular disease by applying modern genetic technologies for the study of complex traits.

"This is a singular honor for Deepak and very well deserved," said Gladstone president Robert W. Mahley, MD, PhD. "He has made extraordinary contributions to our understanding of early heart development, its genetic regulation by transcriptional factors and microRNAs, and stem cell biology."

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Contact: Gary Howard
ghoward@gladstone.ucsf.edu
415-734-2044
Gladstone Institutes
7-May-2007