Dr. Ashley Stein-Merlob, assistant professor in the division of cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been honored with the 2025 Young Investigator Award from the International Cardio‑Oncology Society. The award, which was recently presented at the Global Cardio-Oncology Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, recognizes early-career scientists making exceptional contributions to the field of cardio-oncology.
Stein-Merlob, who is also the associate director of research for the UCLA Cardio-Oncology Program, received this international recognition for her innovative research on cardiac amyloidosis, a disease in which abnormal protein deposits form in the heart, affecting its structure and ability to function efficiently.
Once considered a rare genetic disorder, cardiac amyloidosis is now understood to be more common — especially with advancing age — highlighting the need for innovative approaches to diagnosis and treatment. To address this gap, Stein-Merlob developed a mathematical model that simulates the mechanisms driving cardiac amyloidosis and predicts the effects of different treatments. The model replicates how misfolded protein fibrils accumulate and are cleared in the heart’s walls, and can be used to evaluate current targeted clinical treatments and predict future promising treatment targets.
Stein-Merlob’s work aims to advance precision medicine approaches for cardiac amyloidosis, providing insights that could ultimately improve outcomes for patients with this complex disease.
