Current research efforts
Every division in the department has an active research program in basic research or clinical trials.
Cardiology 
The division sustains research funding of approximately $7 million per year. Projects in basic research include investigations of the mechanism of cardiovascular injury and endothelium-dependent responses.
- thrombolytic therapy
- interventional cardiology
- new drug therapies for arrhythmias and heart failure
- clinical evaluation of the rotablator atherectomy device
- the intracoronary stent for vein graft stenoses
- laser angioplasty in coronary stenoses.
Endocrinology & Metabolism
The division plays a very active role in clinical investigations in the General Clinical Research Center - Polycyctic Ovary Syndrome. Residents and fellows are encouraged to participate in many ongoing basic and clinical research projects. Basic research in the division is performed in the following areas:
- role of ion channels in pancreatic insulin release
- regulation of insulin receptor and leptin gene expression
- regulation of gluconeogenesis and hepatic glucose output
- insulin regulation of human adrenal and ovarian steroidogenesis
- cellular mechanisms of insulin signal transduction
- control of prolactin secretion
- search for a novel pituitary hypercalcemic factor and components of the adenylate cyclase system
Gastroenterology
The division conducts
basic research in the following areas
- Neural and hormonal cell biology and signal transduction in the gut
- Gastrointestinal inflammation and wound repair
- Gastro-intestinal Oncology
- Splanchnic blood flow, tissue ischemia, reconditioning and regulation of blood flow
- Nutrition and Pancreatic biology
- Intestinal Microflora
- Hepatic and Biliary Lipid Research
- Hepatic MicrocirculatiOfl, Portal Hypertension, Vascular wound healing and remodeling
- Hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis
- Viral hepatitis research
General Internal Medicine
Division members engage in research and scholarship in diverse areas including
- clinical decision-making in cancer care
- geriatric education
- quality of care during transitions and in nursing homes
- home health care
- polycystic ovarian syndrome
- women's health
- tuberculosis screening and emergency preparedness on college campuses
- and substance abuse.
Division members have been funded by the American Cancer Society, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Virginia Department of Health, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, plus grants from foundations and industry.
Hematology/Oncology & Palliative Care
works in two directions:
Health services research
- Cancer care quality, costs, cost-effectiveness and the delivery of care to rural populations
- Practice guidelines with important contributions in technology assessment of new approaches to cancer treatment.
- Costs and clinical management of death, dying and the use of claims databases to measure the cost and patterns of care
- Evidence-based care of medically under-served and indigent patients.
Basic research
A number of Hematology/Oncology laboratories conduct basic research that focuses on the molecular level. Some focus areas include studies in -
- Structure and function of oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes and DNA methylation in cell growth and differentiation
- Iimmunomodulatory genes in cancer cells and globin gene regulation in erythroid cells
- Understanding the role of signal transduction processes in the regulation of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in cancer cells, with a view towards developing novel clinical approaches to therapy of hematological malignancies and solid tumors.
- Exploration of the genotoxicity of DNA-directed antineoplastic agents characterizing particular types of DNA damage associated with malignant transformation and the mechanisms by which cellular processing of these lesions result in mutation and drug resistance
- Functional and molecular biological properties of platelets and their receptors.
- New techniques and instrumentation have been developed for the study of clot retraction that are being evaluated in patients at VCU Medical Center.
Infectious Diseases
The investigations are conducted in the following areas:
- Clinical trials in HIV-infected patients
- Basic cytomegalovirus research
- Epidemiology of nosocomial infections
- Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria
- Antimicrobial utilization
- Antimicrobial pharmacoepidemiology
- Mycology; antifungal resistance
- Clinical microbiology
Nephrology
Research in the division includes clinical research related to
- renal pharmacology
- cardio-renal syndrome
- hypertension
- vitamin D metabolism
- peritoneal and hemodialysis
- diabetic nephropathy
- nutrition in diabetic patients
- renal/pancreas transplantation
Basic research involves whole animal research in intravascular volume regulation, molecular biology of mesangial cells and mechanisms of sodium transport.
Pulmonary Medicine & Critical Care
Clinical investigation includes
- delirium and sedation practices in critically ill patients
- lung injury
- sepsis
- organ failure
National clinical trials for sepsis, pneumonia, ARDS and COPD.
Basic research includes:
- mechanisms of lipid peroxidation and cholesterol ester hydrolysis in coronary artery plaques
- the molecular pathogenesis of ischemia reperfusion injury
- molecular control of antioxidant injury in endothelial cells
- the molecular control of airway inflammation in asthma
- the molecular control of lung water through sodium channels.
Quality Health Care
Research or past research projects focus(ed) on
- methodology of quality measurement and improvement
- clinical epidemiology
- cancer epidemiology and prevention
- sickle cell disease
- obesity reduction
- violence
- reduction of health disparities
- medical decision making
- changing physician behavior
- epidemiology and prevention of nosocomial infections
- evaluation of programs to enhance community access to care.
Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology
Sponsored research includes programs in the microbiology of mast cells and the genetics of rheumatic diseases.
