INDIANAPOLIS — Research funded by the American Heart Association is happening right here in the Circle City.
“Most of the major discoveries that contribute to modern medicine were developed in labs like mine,” said Dr. Candice Brown.
Dr. Brown recently moved to Indianapolis to serve as the director of neurovascular research in the Center for Neurovascular Disorders, a joint neuroscience institute between the Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University Health. Prior to this, she spent a decade at West Virginia University where she built a stroke research program.
In early February, Dr. Brown was honored by the American Heart Association (AHA) chapter in Indiana at its annual Go Red for Women Luncheon for her research on stroke and other brain vascular disorders.
She leads a team of grad students, lab technicians and other students who study problems with blood flow to the brain. This could mean looking into the lasting neurological effects of a stroke or heart attack.
The doctor gave an example of why this research is critical. She said investigators like herself have learned that when someone has a heart attack, it could result in blood not reaching the brain and neurons, thus making the person at higher risk of stroke or dementia later on.
“No two days in the lab are the same.” Dr. Brown continued. “We’re doing experiments… we’re using microscopes. We could be actually taking blood samples from a patient and we could be processing them so we could find markers to be able to understand disease.”
In 2024, the AHA invested $7 million in research in Indiana. Dr. Brown described this critical funding as a seed that grows into something much bigger.
“For us to take the existing knowledge that we have and grow that knowledge into potential cures, into potential therapies or just basic knowledge about how the human body works,” Dr. Brown said.
The money goes towards supplies, chemicals and equipment. It is also used to help pay for the education of the graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, who Dr. Brown said are crucial in conducting the research.
“We are able to develop therapies that then five, 10 and 20 years down the road can actually come to fruition and can be used to treat people and better the lives of Hoosiers and individuals across the nation and around the globe,” she said.
To support research conducted by the AHA, donate to Chelsea Helms’ Woman of Impact campaign by clicking here or use the QR code above.
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