Ali J. Marian: life and science are one.

Abstract

Cardiomyopathies—such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (excess thickening of the heart muscle), dilated cardiomyopathy (thinning and weakening of the heart), and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (replacement of heart muscle with fat cells and scar tissue)—are the leading cause of sudden cardiac death and can often be practically symptomless, until it is too late, or can manifest as arrhythmias or severe heart failure. Such cardiomyopathies are complex genetic diseases that can either be inherited or arise from de novo mutations, with many genes contributing to and modifying the condition. Ali J. Marian, the director of the Center for Cardiovascular Genetics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, has devoted the majority of his career to determining exactly what those genes are and how they drive pathology.1–5 Rather modestly, however, he told Circulation Research in a recent interview that his scientific contributions have been largely incremental, and only time will tell about the magnitude of the increments and their significance. Though, he hopes, of course, that his contributions lead to a better understanding of these important diseases. He also spoke about his upbringing in Iran, his covert move to the United States, and his suggestions for success in science—a mixture of finding one’s desire, discipline, hard work, and a healthy intermingling of science and family life. Ali J. Marian During my high-school years, we were settled in Tehran, but originally we were from a small place called Marian—that is where our name comes from—in the northern part of Iran, ≈30 km from the Caspian Sea toward the mountains. And every summer we used to go there for a month. We had a summer home there and it was the best place, the most memorable place in Iran for me. It is a beautiful region. My father was a Supreme Court …