Markers of remodelling in dilated cardiomyopathy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The REMIT-DCM study: Reverse rEmodelling Markers In the serial evaluation of recenT-onset Dilated CardioMyopathy
IRAS ID
262962
Contact name
Sanjay Prasad
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle that often affects young people. It causes the heart to become enlarged and the heart muscle to become weakened. In approximately a third of cases of DCM, the enlarged and weakened heart will significantly improve. This is associated with better health outcomes in the longer term. Doctors currently are not able to accurately predict which patients with DCM will undergo this improvement and which will not.
In this observational cohort study of patients with recent-onset DCM, we will closely observe patients with DCM during the process of heart muscle remodelling and contrast our findings with healthy subjects who do not have heart disease. We will study 60 patients with recent-onset DCM over a 12-month period. We will measure blood protein levels and blood and urine levels of the products of chemical reactions called metabolites. These will be measured at three time points during the process of heart remodelling (at the first visit, 2-3 months later and 12 months after the first visit). We will assess the degree of improvement of the heart function by performing specialist heart scans called cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).
By combining the information from the specialist blood and urine tests with CMRs, we hope to develop a more in-depth understanding of the why some patients with DCM improve. We are seeking to find new markers of improvement in heart function. We hope to identify methods to predict which patients will improve and which will not. This could facilitate the delivery of more personalised care for patients with DCM. It is also possible that understanding the chemical pathways involved in this process may help to develop new drug treatments for DCM.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1014
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion