Advanced diagnostics to inform personalized therapy for angina
Supervisors:
Prof Colin Berry, School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health
Prof Nigel Jamieson, School of Cancer Sciences
Prof Thomas Otto, School of Infection & Immunity
Summary:
One million people in the UK are living with angina, a long-term condition caused by a lack of blood reaching the heart. Angina impairs activities-of-daily-living and health-related quality of life, leading to GP and hospital visits.
Most people with angina have ‘small blood vessel’ problems in the heart and women are most often affected. Traditional tests for angina, such as a heart scan (angiogram), do not reveal small vessel problems, since the vessels are too small to be seen. Hence, diagnosis and treatment opportunities are missed.
Our research has pioneered new tests for small vessel disease, stimulating international guideline recommendations. We are currently leading an international team that has succeeded in developing tests to measure small vessel disease.
In this study, we will measure chemicals released inside the heart during NHS ‘heart spasm’ testing. Doctors will collect blood samples for analysis in the science laboratory. The participants may briefly experience angina due to spasm, or instead, participants may have normal responses (control group, 12 individuals). In a new collaboration with scientists in the University of Glasgow, we will measure genetic signals (RNA, DNA) in blood and blood vessels. The science will advance ‘druggable targets’ for ‘personalised medicine’ in individual patients.