Canadian Cardiovascular Society recognizes trailblazing work by U of Alberta heart researcher

"A University of Alberta medical researcher, a world leader in his field, is receiving a national award for both his pioneering work in understanding heart and kidney function, and in the development of a new class of drugs that could someday treat a wide variety of diseases. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society is giving its 2009 Young Investigator Award in the basic science category to Gavin Y. Oudit, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry's Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology, and a staff cardiologist at Alberta Health Services' University of Alberta Hospital. The prestigious award is to be presented at the society's awards ceremony on October 25, during the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress being held in Edmonton. Millions of people around the world who have high blood pressure and/or heart failure are treated with a class of drugs called ACE inhibitors. Oudit and his collaborators are working on an alternative drug that wouldn't have the negative side effects that often occur with ACE inhibitors while providing a new type of therapeutic benefit. Those side effects can include cough, fatigue, dizziness and the possibility of kidney complications."