Meet Dr. Shu Chien. Dr. Chien holds an impressive record as the longest active NHLBI-funded principal investigator. With over 86,000 citations and 63 years of NHLBI support, he has studied and helped create new ways to prevent and improve treatment for heart disease. Dr. Chien’s career began at Columbia University in 1954, focusing on the properties of blood viscosity. In 1988, he moved to the University of California, San Diego, where he remains today. He is currently studying how to modify the behavior of cells that line inner blood vessels. Changing the pressure and flow acting on these cells can help protect blood vessel walls from plaque buildup that causes heart disease.
Fast Facts. Dr. Chien secured his first R01 grant from NHLBI in 1960, and he has been continuously funded by NHLBI ever since. NHLBI’s R01 research grants help support specialized projects. He has also received NHLBI Program Project Grants (P01), T32 Training Grants, and a bioengineering partnership grant and a Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) award.
Sweet Inspiration. Dr. Chien is most motivated by improving the health and well-being of people with conditions that the NHLBI is dedicated to helping manage or cure—those conditions that affect the heart, lungs, and blood. At Columbia University, for example, Dr. Chien focused on abnormal blood flow properties, with a focus on advancing sickle cell disease research. At University of California, San Diego, he is working on helping improve rates of illness and death related to atherosclerosis, a type of cardiovascular disease that causes plaque buildup in arteries and restricts blood flow.
Big Impact. Because of his long relationship with the NHLBI, Dr. Chien has had a special perch from which to watch the Institute’s mission and work evolve, even as his own work has evolved. It is why he has chosen, at turns, to give back to the Institute by serving on both the NHLBI Advisory Council and as a study section member. Giving back was an easy decision given the “immense” impact the institute has had on his life and on the lives of others. Over the years, Dr. Chien says his desire to train the next generation to help others maintain their health and conquer disease has only grown stronger. “NHLBI has provided marvelous support for my endeavors in research and training for over two-thirds of a century,” he says.
Bright Future. Dr. Chien recently received an R01 grant that will last until 2028, which will mark 68 consecutive years of NHLBI funding. The work will explore RNA editing and metabolism regulation, blending his previous research at the systems level with new epigenetic and genetic approaches. Dr. Chien hopes the new research will further the understanding of the molecular and epigenetic basis of changes caused by atherosclerosis and restricted blood flow.