Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD, assistant professor of medicine (pulmonary and critical care) received the American Society of Clinical Investigator (ASCI) Young Physician-Scientist Award during the 2015 ASCI/AAP Joint Meeting in Chicago.

Initiated in 2013, the award is given once a year to young physician-scientists who are funded by NIH grants and have made notable achievements in their research.

Spiekerkoetter was recognized for her contributions to the field of pulmonary hypertension. Her research examines the effect of FK506, an FDA-approved immunosuppressive drug, on the BMPR2 pathway. “Low dose FK506 activates the BMPR2 pathway, which has not been known before,” she explained. “So we have tested this drug in cells and animals to show that it reverses pulmonary hypertension, and have recently initiated a clinical trial with seed grant funding from the Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease and SPARK to use FK506 in people.”

Her future plans include finishing her current clinical trial, and continuing to develop novel ways to treat pulmonary hypertension. “In pulmonary hypertension a lot of focus has always been on the lung vessels, but another important aspect is how the right ventricle reacts to resistance. So, I’m currently focusing on how to open up the lung vessel and also to improve the heart function so that the heart can cope better.”