Grand Lodge F. & A. M. State of New York - Masonic Medical Research Laboratory

Missed the MMRL on TV?

Stu Card — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:49:56 -0400

On July 19th, the Fox Business Network aired an Eye on America segment showcasing the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory.

The MMRL is a beacon of hope to those who have been touched by the number one killer of men and women, heart disease.

We are making a difference in today's world.

The link below is to another short movie (not the Eye on America segment).

We ask that you consider embedding the link below in all your emails and encourage others to do the same.

With your help, this movie can circle the globe with the click of a button and inform millions about our life-saving cardiac research.

Divas With Heart on-line coverage

Stu Card — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:03:46 -0400

Both the afternoon and evening shows of the Divas With Heart concert not only were great entertainment, they also were well attended fund- and consciousness-raisers for a great cause, the life-saving work of the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory.

Entertainment Tonight on CBS broadcast an interview with 3 of the Divas, who say they "hate that word... call us 'icons'!" Click here to go to ET Online

Photo & Image

"Music legend Diana joins divas uniting for New York benefit" Hello Magazine.
Variety
New York Daily News
New York Times

Online:

New Masonic Medical Research Laboratory Video

Site Administrator — Fri, 11 May 2007 16:45:32 -0400

The MMRL has developed a new three minute video explaining the mission of the MMRL. Take some time to view it and consider helping to promote the lab.

The MMRL is a beacon of hope to those who have been touched by the number one killer of men and women, heart disease. We are making a difference in today's world and we ask that you consider embedding this link in all your emails and encourage others to do the same. With your help, this movie can circle the globe with the click of a button and inform millions about our life-saving cardiac research.

Please click on this link to watch a short movie about the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory.

MMRL Scientists Discover New Genes Responsible for Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Site Administrator — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:14:33 -0500

Scientists at the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory (MMRL) in Utica, NY have uncovered a new genetic basis for abnormal rhythms of the heart responsible for sudden cardiac arrest.

The landmark discovery is reported in the current issue of Circulation, the leading Cardiology journal published by the American Heart Association (AHA). Dr. Charles Antzelevitch and a team of investigators and collaborators from Canada, Germany, France and Italy describe a new clinical entity characterized by distinctive changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG) in three families with a history of sudden cardiac death. Affected family members were all found to have mutations in the genes that encode the cardiac calcium channels. These channels permit the flow of calcium ion in and out of cells in the heart. The defective genes called CACNA1C and CACNB2b were found to generate a smaller than normal electrical current and thus to be responsible for creating an electrical imbalance that results in potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms, known as cardiac arrhythmias.

MMRL Publishes Consensus Report and Book to Guide Physicians in Diagnosis and Treatment of Sudden Death Syndrome

Site Administrator — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:57:07 -0400

A consensus report on the Brugada Syndrome was simultaneously published in the January, 2005 issue of Circulation, a leading clinical journal published by the American Heart Association and Heart Rhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. The report received the endorsement of the Heart Rhyhtm Society in the United States and the European Heart Rhythm Association. The detailed report elaborates on the diagnostic criteria needed to identify the syndrome and examines risk factors, devices and medications for treatment based on current data. The Brugada syndrome is characterized by a distinct form of ST segment elevation in the electrocardiogram (ECG.) The report emphasized that the syndrome is not always obvious on the ECG but can be unmasked by administration of drugs known as sodium channel blockers. It also noted that patients with aborted sudden death are at highest risk for the disease.

Joan Steiner Honored With Certificate Of Humanity by the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory

Site Administrator — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:48:55 -0400

Joan Steiner, was honored by the famed Masonic Medical Research Laboratory in Utica, New York with a CERTIFICATE OF HUMANITY and a leaf with her name was placed on the Raymond C. Ellis Tree of Humanity in the lobby of that institution. The prensetation was made by Charles Antzelevitch, Ph.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A. Executive Director and Director of Research.

"CERTIFICATE OF HUMANITY"

"Like the planting of the mighty oak, your generous support of our medical research is an investment in the future.

"This gift will help expand the boundaries of scientific knowledge and provide for a better quality of life for all humankind for generations to come.

Masonic Medical Research Laboratory Work At Center of Cardiac Research

Site Administrator — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:32:05 -0400

Reprinted with permission of The Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY.
By MARY CHRISTOPHER
Special to the Observer-Dispatch,Mon, Apr 19, 2004

UTICA -- As heart disease continues to be the No. 1 killer in the United States, a local institution is making strides with research that links sudden cardiac death and abnormal heart rhythms.

"The Masonic Medical Research Laboratory remains committed to studying genetic defects in the heart and developing ways to cure and treat conditions before an unexpected death occurs," Executive Director and Director of Research Dr. Charles Antzelevitch said. "We have become a central hub in the United States and around the world," he said.

Masonic Lab research wing opens

Site Administrator — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:31:20 -0400

FROM : THE UTICA OBSERVER DISPATCH
Sun, Apr 25, 2004

UTICA -- A recent addition will help the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory understand the root genetic causes of diseases, leaders at the center said Saturday. "This is the future of research," Executive Director Charles Antzelevitch said. He said the facility would bring jobs to the area and expressed hope that it'd encourage young researchers to remain in the area.

More than 100 community leaders, doctors and others attended the official opening of the new molecular genetics and molecular biology wing.

Doctors began working in the addition in January. Research focuses on searching for genes that cause sudden, cardiac-related deaths.

IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

Site Administrator — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:29:59 -0400

By LISA PEARSON , Staff Writer, BRISTOL PRESS 02/01/2004

BRISTOL, CN -- Robert Britton of Plainville headed down to Florida last year on vacation without a care in the world. Little did he know that by the end of his trip he would have had his heart jump-started twice and be diagnosed with a unfamiliar genetic heart disease.

"I was in perfect health," said the 52-year-old Britton, owner of an explosives company. "I had never had any problems except occasional high blood pressure because of stress-related problems with work."

Britton remembers the Saturday morning that his life changed. He and his wife had gone out to an antique car auction when he began developing chest pains. "I had never had chest pains before," he added.

Sudden Death Associated with Short QT Syndrome linked to Mutations in HERG

Site Administrator — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 09:26:37 -0400

December 16, 2003

A study linking a new clinical entity responsible for sudden cardiac death, termed the Short QT Syndrome, to an ion channel defect in the heart was published in Circulation today. Senior authors Ramon Brugada, M.D. and Charles Antzelevitch, Ph.D. indicate that these findings have opened a new door in our understanding of causes of abnormal heart rhythms, known as cardiac arrhythmias, and their role in the sudden death of infants, children and young adults.

The Long QT syndrome has long been associated with a risk for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. However, little is known about prognostic implications of the reverse; the short QT interval, a disease that had been highlighted only in the last three years. These new findings describe the genetic basis for the Short QT syndrome, which can causes sudden death in otherwise healthy individuals. The study is the result of a collaboration among investigators in Europe and the United States. The team at the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory (MMRL) in Utica, NY discovered the mutation responsible for the disease in a gene that encodes for a potassium channel in the heart. Hyperactivity of this ion channel was found to alter electrical activity within the cells of the heart causing it to beat at very fast rates that could lead to sudden death.