The Competitive Edge

Table of Contents - August 2007

Entrepreneurship

'Heartfelt' start-up: Tackling cardiovascular disease

Scott Earley, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, couples his extensive research experience in cardiovascular physiology with his entrepreneurial background.

It will take more than science. Eliminating heart disease can benefit from an entrepreneurial approach, says Scott Earley, assistant professor in CSU's Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Cardiovascular disease, the single leading cause of death in the United States, will claim 479,000 American lives this year. Earley is working to reverse that trend by developing a greater understanding of cardiovascular physiology and finding new opportunities for pharmaceutical intervention.

Entrepreneurially open

Earley came to Colorado State University in March 2006 to join a department with world-renowned research laboratories and an interest in investing in entrepreneurial ventures. A previous entrepreneur himself, Earley brought his start-up skills to the Department of Biomedical Sciences and created a new laboratory from the ground up.

Grim statistics

In the United States, 38 percent of the adult population has some form of cardiovascular disease. This year, 1.2 million Americans will have their first or recurrent coronary attack and 479,000 will die.

Pressure rising

High blood pressure affects 65 million Americans. Each year, approximately 700,000 Americans suffer from their first or a recurrent stroke and, of those, about 160,000 will die. Almost 35 million Americans have high cholesterol levels, a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke.

Earley, who holds a bachelor's in electrical engineering, a master's in microbiology, and a doctorate in biomedical sciences, worked in prion-related diseases in Montana at the McLaughlin Research Institute before starting a small biotechnology company that developed transgenic animals to express genes for the production of pharmaceuticals.

New beginnings

Earley sold his share of the company and moved to New Mexico, where he received a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico's Health Sciences Center, before coming to Colorado State University.

Of his new venture, Earley says the department had not had a start-up lab for years. "Getting basic cleaning supplies and ordering and installing equipment was a learning process for everyone."

"But it's pretty exciting," says Earley, "when you are able to come into an organization and build your vision."

– Adapted from a story published in the CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences' Fall 2006 Biomedical Sciences Update.