Cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels that include heart failure, stroke, and atrial fibrillation.

Common behaviors and health conditions that put people at risk include smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity.

What is cardiovascular disease?

The underlying causes of cardiovascular disease vary by condition. Many of them are linked to a condition called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when plaque, made up of cholesterol, fats, calcium, and other substances, builds up inside the arteries. Over time, this can narrow the arteries and reduce blood flow. If a plaque ruptures, a blood clot can form and block blood flow completely. This can lead to a heart attack or an ischemic stroke.

Fast facts about  cardiovascular disease

• Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of deaths worldwide and in the United States.
• An estimated 19.8 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2022, representing approximately 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke.
• In the United States, one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease, according to CDC data.

Sources: World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Cardiovascular disease research at The Jackson Laboratory

Travis Hinson, a clinical cardiologist and scientist at JAX and UConn Health, studies the genetic basis of inherited cardiovascular disease. His laboratory uses mouse models and human stem cells to investigate how disease-causing genetic variants affect the heart and to evaluate gene-editing and other precision-medicine approaches.

Nadia Rosenthal, professor and scientific director at JAX in Bar Harbor, Maine, studies how growth factors, stem cells, and the immune system influence the development, regeneration, and repair of heart and skeletal muscle. Her research uses genetically diverse mouse models to examine the roles of aging, cellular interactions, and immunity in cardiovascular disease.

In 2025, Hinson and Rosenthal joined a team from the JAX-NYSCF Collaborative awarded up to $30 million to develop AI-powered “virtual hearts” for drug safety testing. The CARDIOVERSE project combines artificial intelligence, stem cells, and genetic variation research to predict drug safety before human trials. The team is co-led by JAX researchers Matt Mahoney and Paul Robson, and NYSCF’s Daniel Paull, a leader in high-throughput stem cell technologies.

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