Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (CHL), a rapidly growing specialty clinical laboratory and cardiovascular disease management company, today announced that its fourth annual symposium, Where Inflammation Meets Lipids®, will focus on unique models and strategies for assessing, treating and preventing chronic disease.

The Spectranetics Corporation (Nasdaq:SPNC), a leading maker of medical devices used in minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures, today announced the appointment of Kimberly McIntosh Bridges as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Vascular Intervention, effective August 30, 2013. She will report to Scott Drake, President and Chief Executive Officer, and will be located at the company's global headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO.

Boston University’s BU Today reported that the 65-year-old Framingham Heart Study will lose $4 million in federal funding under the sequester, forcing the layoffs of 19 staffers in November.  In a video, Boston University biomedical engineer Ahmad S. Khalil, PhD, argues against the cuts on ScienceWorksforUS.org.

Infraredx, Inc., a medical device company committed to advancing the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease, today announced that it has received a $25 million equity investment from Nipro Corporation. This investment builds on Infraredx’s exclusive agreement with Nipro for distribution of its TVC Imaging System in Japan, the world’s largest intravascular imaging market. In conjunction with the investment, a member of Nipro’s management team will join Infraredx’s board of directors.

Gladstone Institutes researchers published a proof of concept study in Stem Cell Reports of human fibroblasts being reprogrammed into beating heart cells. A description of their work and a 3-D video illustrating a heart muscle cell are available below. 

Kenneth Bernstein, MD, a Cedars-Sinai pathologist and scientific researcher known for expanding the understanding of a collection of proteins important in controlling blood pressure as well as heart and renal diseases, has been named a 2013 Distinguished Scientist by the American Heart Association.

For millions of Americans, simply walking to the mailbox can cause unbearable leg pain as muscles scream for more blood and oxygen.

Tony Das, MD, the cardiologist who treated George W. Bush on Aug. 6, discusses his reasoning for the former president’s stent procedure in a blog entry posted on the American Heart Association’s site.