Establishment and Development:

Founded in 1959, the Department of Cardiology of Qilu (Cheeloo) Hospital is one of the earliest cardiovascular disciplines in China and serves as a comprehensive platform for clinical practice, teaching, research and training. This department consists of outpatient clinics, three inpatient wards, a critical care unit (CCU), an echocardiographic laboratory, an electrocardiographic laboratory, four cardiac catheterization laboratories, and a branch department at Qingdao Campus. The scientific research is based on the National Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, the Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research of the MOE and the NHC and Shandong University — Karolinska Institutet Collaborative Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research. The department has undertaken more than 300 national and provincial research projects and published more than 1,400 papers in high-impact international journals. The laboratory covers an area of 10,000 square meters, with more than 800 pieces of equipment, the total value of all equipment is more than $20 million.

Team Members:

The director of the laboratory is Professor Yun Zhang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, FACC, FESC, Hon. FASE. Our team is composed of the leading experts in their fields, young and passionate researchers. Many of them undertake the excellent scientist fund or basic scientific fund from the government.

Research Areas:

The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research features research on the mechanisms, detection techniques and intervention strategies of cardiovascular remodeling, such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, abdominal aortic aneurysm, diabetic cardiomyopathy, adipose tissue affecting cardiovascular disease etc.

Research Achievements:

In the field of basic research, this department was the first to establish a series of animal models of atherosclerotic vulnerable plaque, discovered multiple novel genes and mechanisms underlying the development and progression of vulnerable plaque and ventricular remodeling, developed new biomarkers and imaging techniques for detecting vulnerable plaque and ventricular remodeling, and revealed a series of new therapeutic targets for the early intervention of atherosclerosis and heart failure. In the field of clinical research, the department led the world-renowned EMINCA and CAPITAL studies, participated in over 30 international and national multi-center clinical trials, led or participated in the preparation of more than 20 Chinese and foreign clinical treatment guidelines.

Main Publications:

10 selected publications

1. STABILITY Investigators. Darapladib for preventing ischemic events in stable coronary heart disease. N Engl J Med. 2014 May 1;370(18):1702-11. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1315878. Epub 2014 Mar 30. PMID: 24678955.

2. HEAAL Investigators. Effects of high-dose versus low-dose losartan on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (HEAAL study): a randomised, double-blind trial. Lancet. 2009 Nov 28;374(9704):1840-8. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61913-9. Epub 2009 Nov 16. Erratum in: Lancet. 2009 Dec 5;374(9705):1888. PMID: 19922995.

3. AleCardio Investigators. Effect of aleglitazar on cardiovascular outcomes after acute coronary syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: the AleCardio randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2014 Apr 16;311(15):1515-25. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.3321. PMID: 24682069.

4. Wang S, Zhang C, Zhang M, Liang B, Zhu H, Lee J, Viollet B, Xia L, Zhang Y, Zou MH. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase α2 by nicotine instigates formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice in vivo. Nat Med. 2012 Jun;18(6):902-10. doi: 10.1038/nm.2711. PMID: 22561688; PMCID: PMC3559018.

5. Chen ZY, Jing D, Bath KG, Ieraci A, Khan T, Siao CJ, Herrera DG, Toth M, Yang C, McEwen BS, Hempstead BL, Lee FS. Genetic variant BDNF (Val66Met) polymorphism alters anxiety-related behavior. Science. 2006 Oct 6;314(5796):140-3. doi: 10.1126/science.1129663. PMID: 17023662; PMCID: PMC1880880.

6. Zhao M, Veeranki SP, Magnussen CG, Xi B. Recommended physical activity and all cause and cause specific mortality in US adults: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2020 Jul 1;370:m2031. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2031. PMID: 32611588; PMCID: PMC7328465.

7. Jiang F, Yang J, Zhang Y, Dong M, Wang S, Zhang Q, Liu FF, Zhang K, Zhang C. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and angiotensin 1-7: novel therapeutic targets. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2014 Jul;11(7):413-26. doi: 10.1038/nrcardio.2014.59. Epub 2014 Apr 29. PMID: 24776703; PMCID: PMC7097196.

8. Dong M, Yang X, Lim S, Cao Z, Honek J, Lu H, Zhang C, Seki T, Hosaka K, Wahlberg E, Yang J, Zhang L, Länne T, Sun B, Li X, Liu Y, Zhang Y, Cao Y. Cold exposure promotes atherosclerotic plaque growth and instability via UCP1-dependent lipolysis. Cell Metab. 2013 Jul 2;18(1):118-29. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2013.06.003. PMID: 23823482; PMCID: PMC3701322.

9. Liu B, Zhang M, Chu H, Zhang H, Wu H, Song G, Wang P, Zhao K, Hou J, Wang X, Zhang L, Gao C. The ubiquitin E3 ligase TRIM31 promotes aggregation and activation of the signaling adaptor MAVS through Lys63-linked polyubiquitination. Nat Immunol. 2017 Feb;18(2):214-224. doi: 10.1038/ni.3641. Epub 2016 Dec 19. PMID: 27992402.

10. Zhang M, Sui W, Cheng C, Xue F, Tian Z, Cheng J, Zhang J, Zhang T, Zhang J, Wang W, Xiong W, Hao P, Ma J, Xu X, Wang S, Sun S, Zhang M, Zhang Y, Zhang C. Erythropoietin promotes abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice through angiogenesis and inflammatory infiltration. Sci Transl Med. 2021 Jul 21;13(603):eaaz4959. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaz4959. PMID: 34290056.

Facilities & Resources:

Our state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology enable us to conduct research that is both rigorous and innovative. The laboratory covers an area of 10,000 square meters, with more than 800 pieces of equipment, the total value of all equipment is more than $20 million. The laboratory consists of animal laboratory, cytology laboratory, gene laboratory, protein laboratory, pathology laboratory, confocal laser microscopy laboratory, flow cytometry laboratory, genetics laboratory, immunology laboratory, biomechanics and computational biology laboratory, small animal ultrasound and CT imaging platform, small animal cardiac function room, etc. The laboratory space and equipment conditions can meet the requirements of most experiments.

Collaborations & Partnerships:

We believe in the power of collaboration. That's why we have forged partnerships with Professor Yihai Cao, one of the most famous scientists form KI in the field of angiogenesis, metabolism, tumor and cardiovascular disease to further advance our research. We also collaborate with Professor Qingbo Xu, Xinliang Ma and Xingli Wang from UK and USA in the field of cardiology for many years.

Recreational Activities:

Academic seminars are held regularly to help improve the communication between researchers.

Other Features:

Our lab also performs the research on traditional Chinese medicine. We have done a lot of work in the scientific research of traditional Chinese medicine and published many articles in SCI journals.

Contact:

For more information or inquiries, please contact us at swh@email.sdu.edu.cn or visit our website at https://xxgcg.sdu.edu.cn/