DAREx-CMR
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Dilated cardiomyopathy vs Athletic Remodelling: An Exercise CMR study
IRAS ID
355022
Contact name
James Howard
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition where the heart enlarges and weakens, leading to heart failure. However, in its early stages, people may have no symptoms and remain physically active. A major challenge for cardiologists is distinguishing early DCM from normal heart adaptations seen in athletes. Regular exercise can cause the heart to enlarge in a way that mimics disease on standard cardiac MRI (CMR) scans, even though these changes are harmless and reversible.
Currently, cardiac MRI is performed at rest, making it difficult to tell the difference between these two conditions. This research which is funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) will tackle this problem by performing CMR during exercise. We will use an exercise bike inside the scanner in order to allow us to capture real-time changes in heart function and blood flow throughout continuous exercise. Our group has developed artificial intelligence-led techniques to precisely track these changes.
We will recruit patients with early DCM and no symptoms, individuals with athletic remodelling, as well a group of healthy controls with structurally normal hearts. Each participant will attend a single visit for a CMR scan that takes around 1 hour to perform, with a small number returning for a second scan on a separate date to ensure reproducibility of the test.
We believe this approach will reveal key differences between early DCM and athletic remodelling. If successful, we will create a test that ensures athletes are not mistakenly diagnosed with heart disease while also identifying patients with early DCM before symptoms develop. This will enable timely treatment, potentially preventing heart failure and improving long-term outcomes.
REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/SC/0017
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion