The most important impact of CVRI research came from the discovery of pulmonary surfactant and its development as a therapy. This effort to understand air-water interfaces and the biophysics of how alveoli remain inflated led directly to a treatment for respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants and to a measurable decrease in infant mortality. Among many other awards, the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Awards to Kan in 1991 and to Clements in 1994 are particularly notable. CVRI currently has 95 investigators. The dominant theme of research is human biology relevant to the heart, lungs and vascular system.
Programs span the spectrum from basic to clinical science.
Ongoing research by Institute faculty ranges from dissection of the way the G proteins and G protein-coupled receptors signal to understanding the genes which govern heart muscle formation to identification of the mechanisms by which platelets are activated to form blood clots to the development of a method to test for genetic abnormalities in embryos by sampling maternal blood. The CVRI facilitates members' research in several ways. It makes it possible for faculty to organize and participate in programmatic activities with a relatively small investment of time in administrative chores. It also helps them to support research fellows and students and invests in core technologies not easily established in individual laboratories. Most importantly, it puts them into close contact with other faculty with similar interests but diverse backgrounds and training and it has helped some to link bench research to clinical studies and applications.