Background

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD)

Significance (in 2018, the US)

• 836,546 deaths -- 1 in every 3 deaths
• 2300 deaths / day -- 1 death / 38 sec
• Total costs >$329.7 billion

Cardiac Medications

• Prevent clotting in blood vessels (strokes)
• Prevent heart attacks
• Costly
• Severe side effects

Current Drug Testing Methods & Limitations

In vivo methods

• Expensive
• Slow

In vitro methods

• Non-representative of human conditions

In silico methods

• Can’t simulate complicated mechanisms