Research Programs
• Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program
• Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study
• Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program Offspring Study
• Kuakini Japan-Hawaii Cancer Study
• Kuakini Genetics Lab
• Kuakini Research Programs Summaries and Findings
• Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI)
• Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) Policy
Kuakini is the home of the internationally recognized Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program and Kuakini Japan-Hawaii Cancer Study, and several other research programs including the Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Research programs originated by Kuakini's principal investigators and research staff have received local, national and international attention. They have greatly contributed to our modern understanding of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and dementia.
Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program
The Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program (HHP), funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute since 1965, has been observing the incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke in about 8,000 men of Japanese ancestry living on the island of Oahu. Results of the longitudinal study have played a part in the U.S. government's recommended dietary guidelines, in the development of "smoke-free" programs for primary and secondary schools, and in the development of rehabilitation programs for heart attack victims. The research findings, such as the existence of "good" cholesterol, have guided physicians worldwide in treating patients with heart disease. Kuakini HHP researchers, led by Principal Investigator Dr. J. David Curb, have published over 300 scientific papers on the study of heart disease. The Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program is the only longitudinal study of Japanese American men that has included epidemiological and clinical data of the cohorts for over 37 years.
Since February 1995, Kuakini and the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine have collaborated in the Women's Health Initiative, which is a NIH-funded study of cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporotic fractures among postmenopausal women in Hawaii. The Hawaii site for that study is located on the grounds of Kuakini Health System and is one of 40 federally funded study centers nationwide currently involved in an extension study of participants' health until 2010.
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Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study
An outgrowth of the Kuakini HHP is the Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study (HAAS) that was established in 1991 to study the causes of dementia, a disease that afflicts up to four million Americans annually. The Kuakini HAAS continues to research the variables associated with brain aging, dementia, and Parkinsonism through grants received from the National Institute on Aging. Re-examinations of the Kuakini HHP participants has furthered understanding of how genetic factors, diet, heart disease, various illnesses, occupations, and other midlife experiences contribute to the development of disorders of the elderly. At the "Third World Congress on Vascular Factors in Alzheimer's Disease" held in Kyoto, Japan in April 2002, the HAAS presented findings from the analyses of autopsied brain specimens donated by Kuakini HHP participants, who identified vascular and non-vascular pathogenic processes associated with poor cognitive function.
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Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program Offspring Study
Kuakini has also started the Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program (HHP) Offspring Study, which is designed to collect data (including demographics, health condition, lifestyle and genetics) of the sons and daughters of the original Kuakini HHP participants. The goal of the new study is to conduct multi-generational research on several diseases, health conditions, and healthy aging, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, age-related disability, memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, longevity, and related genetic research.
Kuakini believes that the linkage of the Offspring Study to the Kuakini HHP research will result in major specific scientific contributions that will benefit the Hawaii and global communities as well as future generations.
The Offspring Study has started with a small randomized sample of the children of the Kuakini HHP participants. In time, Kuakini would like to contact all of the offspring about their interest in joining the legacy of research initiated by their fathers’ commitment to the Kuakini HHP.
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Kuakini Japan-Hawaii Cancer Study (JHCS)
The Kuakini Japan-Hawaii Cancer Study (JHCS), formerly supported by funding from the National Cancer Institute for 34 years, continues its study on identifying pathological, biochemical and other risk factors associated with the development of common cancers in over 10,000 men and women of Japanese ancestry (includes cohorts of the Honolulu Heart Program). The Kuakini JHCS has published its findings in over 200 scientific papers in respected medical journals. In 1982, researchers were among the first to link a virus, hepatitis B, with liver cancer. They later discovered that people who eat carrots, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene are less likely to get lung cancer. JHCS researchers were also the first to demonstrate that a bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, was linked to stomach cancer.
Note: Researchers who would like to contact the investigators of Kuakini's research programs can send initial inquiries to k.tabin@kuakini.org.
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Kuakini Genetics Lab
Kuakini is home to the the most advanced genetics research laboratory in Hawaii. The Kuakini Genetics Lab opened in March 2004. Located on the first floor of Hale Kuakini, the facility hosts genetic testing for several projects from the Honolulu Heart Program, Japan-Hawaii Cancer Study and Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Previously, Kuakini researchers needed to send samples to the continental U.S. for genetics analysis. Now they can extract, analyze, store and distribute DNA and RNA samples right from the Kuakini campus.
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