Dr. Nazish Sayed Receives Department of Defense Grant to Study Cardiovascular Effects of Burn Pit Exposure in Veterans

Dr. Nazish Sayed, Associate Professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery at Stanford University, has received a Department of Defense (DOD) Toxic Exposures Research Program (TERP) Translational Research Partnership Award for a project focused on the cardiovascular effects of burn pit exposure in Veterans.

The three-year award totals approximately $1.08 million and supports a collaborative effort between Stanford University and the VA Palo Alto team. The project is titled, “Study of Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and Cardiovascular Disease in Veterans With Burn Pit Exposures Using Advanced Imaging and 3D Heart Tissue Models.”

The research team will study the cardiovascular impact of burn pit exposure using advanced cardiovascular phenotyping, patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiac organoids, and preclinical models.

"This award will allow us to combine advanced cardiovascular imaging, patient-specific stem cell–derived heart tissue models, and multi-omic technologies to better understand how burn pit exposures contribute to cardiovascular disease in Veterans," said Dr. Sayed. "Our goal is to develop innovative human-relevant models that not only uncover disease mechanisms, but also accelerate the development of precision therapies for those affected by toxic environmental exposures."

Dr. Sayed is a faculty member in the Division of Vascular Surgery within the Department of Surgery and is affiliated with the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. He also serves as Director of the Baszucki Vascular Surgery Biobank.