American Heart Association Research Milestones – 1940’s

1940s Research Milestones

1948: Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, 1937 Nobel Prize recipient in Physiology or Medicine, receives the first AHA-supported research grant. The $25,000 grant covers equipment and staff salaries. Szent-Gyorgyi receives a second grant (for $10,000) in 1949. Both grants are awarded to enable him to do fundamental studies on muscle energetics.

With national AHA support, Dr. Alfred Farah examines the influence of sulfahydryl compounds as diuretics. The next year, Dr. William Schwartz, also receiving national funding, finds sulfanilamide can act as a diuretic. Diuretics help treat congestive heart failure and high blood pressure.