SDSU Symposium Explores Links Between

Heart Disease and Viruses

Contact:
Lorena Nava, Media Relations Specialist
San Diego State University
(619) 594-3952 office
lnava@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Wednesday, July 11, 2007)-- The San Diego State University BioScience Center will host a symposium exploring the links between heart disease and viruses on Friday, July 20.

"This event is a great opportunity to explore this new area of study in heart disease," said Stanley Maloy, dean of the College of Sciences and former president of the American Society for Microbiology. "The SDSU BioScience Center is dedicated to studying the connections between infection, inflammation and heart disease, and we expect that this research will lead to new therapies and treatments for this prevalent disease."

The daylong event, held in the 500-seat auditorium in the Arts and Letters building, will feature presentations from well-known experts specializing in cardiology or microbiology, including:

o Dr. Roberta Gottlieb, SDSU professor and director of the SDSU BioScience Center, will speak on the cell biology of coronary artery disease.

o Ann Progulske-Fox, Ph.D., professor and director of the Center for Molecular Microbiology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, will present on the role of dental health in atherosclerosis.

o Gerald Byrne, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of molecular sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center will present on Chlamydia and its connections to atherosclerosis.

o Dr. David Engman, associate professor of pathology and microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, will speak on Chagas disease leading to autoimmune heart disease.

o Dr. Kirk Knowlton, chief of cardiology at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, will speak on Coxsackie myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart muscle.

The event is free and open to the public. To register or to learn more, please visit: www.sci.sdsu.edu/bsc/symposium.

Sponsors of the symposium include Alan and Debbie Gold, of BioMed Realty; Fred Muto, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP; Scott Pancoast, Lpath Therapeutics Inc.; Steve Mento, Conatus Pharmaceuticals; and the American Heart Association Western Regional Affiliate.

The SDSU BioScience Center is an innovative research facility whose scientists study the links between infectious and heart diseases. With more than 33,000 square feet of usable space, the center will feature three floors of research laboratories, offices and the 100-seat Alan and Debbie Gold Auditorium for the Life Sciences. The BioScience Center opened in March 2006. In all, more than a dozen researchers are affiliated with the SDSU BioScience Center.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelors degrees in 81 areas, masters degrees in 73 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSUs more than 34,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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