The Masonic Medical Research Laboratory (MMRL) is a not-for-profit institute supported by volunteer contributions and bequests. The Laboratory also obtains funding through foundation, corporation and Federal grants. The MMRL is a state-of-the-art medical research facility engaged in studies involving major health issues facing society today such as, ischemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, sudden cardiac arrest and other aspects of cardiovascular disease.

The MMRL is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for all humankind. The Laboratory's primary mission is to conduct high quality basic medical research aimed at generating knowledge and information necessary for development of the medical cures and treatments of tomorrow. The Laboratory is also committed to providing education and training to basic scientists and clinical researchers who would perpetuate and extend the fight against disease.

Our scientists have played and continue to play a pivotal role in defining the majority of mechanisms responsible for abnormal rhythms of the heart, commonly termed cardiac arrhythmias, thereby contributing to implementation of the pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), catheter ablation therapy and a wide variety of drugs used to treat heart disease. We also discovered a new sub-population of heart cells termed, "M" cells that have revolutionized the world of cardiology. This finding and others have led to discovering the basis for the J wave and T wave of the ECG, thus providing cardiologists a more accurate means of diagnosing cardiac disease. Recent studies have uncovered the first gene responsible for sudden death in young adults and have provided the first direct evidence linking an abnormal heart rhythm, known as the long QT syndrome to a form of Sudden Infant Death (SIDS). We look forward to intensifying our efforts to identify genetic mutations responsible for the Brugada syndrome and other life threatening inherited arrhythmia syndromes. The MMRL is the leading center for study of the Brugada syndrome in the United States.

As the Laboratory has grown in prominence, members of the scientific staff have received numerous invitations to present their research findings at international, national and regional symposia throughout the world. These findings have earned ten international awards within the last five years and have appeared in the most prestigious medical and scientific journals in the world. The MMRL has also received increasing amounts of media coverage of its scientific achievements. One particular highlight was for the Laboratory's role in providing the first direct evidence linking Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to an abnormal heart rhythm. This particular study was published in the July 2000 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Our ability to link specific diseases to defective genes has opened up new vistas in our understanding of human disease and in our approach to the development of the much needed therapies and cures. With this in mind, our Laboratory took another bold step forward in establishing a Molecular Genetics Program. Our Laboratory is now one of a handful of world centers capable of determining the genetic basis of cardiac arrhythmias responsible for sudden cardiac arrest in young adults, children and infants. The MG program facilitates a more patient-focused approach to our research aimed at the identification of genes causing malignant arrhythmias. It complements the electrophysiology research and molecular biology programs and works in concert with them to optimize and accelerate scientific discovery at the MMRL.

In less than one year, this program linked a new clinical entity responsible for sudden cardiac death, termed the Short QT Syndrome, to an ion channel defect in the heart. The identification of the genetic basis for the disease permits investigators at the MMRL to pinpoint drugs that may be candidates for the specific treatment of this syndrome. One of the great benefits of genetic identification of disease is that it provides us an understanding of the disease at its root cause, thus providing a better means to diagnose, treat and someday cure the congenital dysfunction. Working with clinical colleagues in Europe, MMRL investigators are well on their way to identifying appropriate therapies for patients who inherit the disease from their parents. Until now, the implantation of an automatic cardioverter defibrillator was the only option in preventing sudden premature death.

The MMRL has become a referral center for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies who seek assistance with drugs under development for a wide variety of diseases. We are currently working together with companies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East in addition to several in the United States. Our scientists also serve as consultants to a variety of other biotechnology companies as well as to the FDA on these and other matters.

In 2004, the research programs contributed a total of 81 publications (original papers, book chapters and abstracts) to the scientific literature, most appearing in peer-reviewed medical journals and books. Our scientists were invited to present the results of their work at national and international symposia and at medical centers worldwide. They were also honored with numerous invitations to write many reviews articles and chapters for reading medical journals and textbooks.

The MMRL is also an educational institution and resource center with close ties to Syracuse University, Utica College, the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse and other medical schools nationwide. The Laboratory offers four educational programs: Summer Fellowship, Undergraduate, Predoctoral and Postdoctoral. Our library is open to students as well as to the scientific and medical community for research and reference.

Notwithstanding our positive record of scientific achievements, we can not take continued medical and scientific progress for granted. The health of Americans and citizens of the world tomorrow depends upon discoveries made in medical research today. The success of our mission, and that of similar laboratories throughout the world, is critically dependent on our base of support. Such support has contributed immeasurably to many important achievements of our institute.

Over the past decade the MMRL has received over ten million dollars in extramural grant support. The chief sources of grant support include the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Heart Association (AHA) and various foundations and corporations. However, we would not be where we are today if not for caring and concerned individuals. We are also pleased to be part of the NYC Combined Municipal Campaign and the recipient of donor designated funds through the various United Way Campaigns. Each charitable gift helps to ensure the success of our research and thereby the health of future generations