Project areas

The EU FP7 funded BioStat-HF - a systems Biology Study to Tailored Treatment in Chronic Heart Failure - programme is combining genomic and proteomic strategies to discover novel markers of response to therapy in over 4,000 heart failure patients samples.

This has been on-going since 2014 and has to date generated over 100 papers published in top journals including European Journal of Heart Failure, JACC, Circulation Heart Failure and American Heart Journal. A final report of the systems biology of HF progression suggesting pathways implicated in the pathobiology of HF.

Biomedical Research Informatics Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences (BRICCS) University Hospitals Leicester and University of Leicester cohort (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04388943).BRICCS is a retrospective observational study of Patients with CAD. It provides a real life snapshot of the type of patients who attend Chest Clinic.

We will use this cohort to validate a 8-plex panel of markers for coronary calcification and coronary imaging in order to triage chest pain patients.

Prevalence and Determinants of SubclInical Cardiovascular Dysfunction in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes – The PREDICT Study. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic progressive condition of metabolic derangement. It is associated with the elevated risk of atherosclerosis and heart failure. The latter being recently coined the commonest and deadliest complication of this condition.

T2D is highly heterogeneous with substantial variation in clinical presentation, disease trajectory, treatment response, and risk of complications across patients, highlighting the need for personalised approaches to care. Identifying and characterising distinct T2D phenotypes is therefore essential for developing targeted and effective treatment strategies that can improve patient outcomes.

The PREDICT study is a single-centre, observational study, that represents one of the most comprehensively phenotyped cohorts of people with T2D free of cardiovascular disease in the world.

The study combines multimodal imaging (echocardiography, computed tomography and MRI), detailed clinical characteristics and multi-omics with the aim of characterising subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction, determine the predictors of future cardiovascular events and develop a clinical risk score for detecting early heart failure (stage B heart failure (SBHF)) in T2D.

The study is now in follow-up, recalling c.200 T2D and healthy controls, for the purpose of characterising the trajectory of SBHF in T2D towards symptomatic HF, and to identify specific biological pathways that drive progression.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is a progressive narrowing of the aortic valve that often remains asymptomatic until advanced disease stages. When undetected, AS is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac events, poor clinical outcomes, and delayed intervention.

Identifying plasma biomarkers could allow early risk stratification of individuals before symptoms develop. This multi-site collaboration involving Quebec, Barcelona, Edinburgh, and Leicester focuses on a uniquely important cohort, as most existing studies have concentrated on symptomatic severe AS and post-operative outcomes.

In contrast, this study represents the largest cohort of asymptomatic individuals with significant AS, with plasma collected prior to symptom onset and clinical intervention.

HFpEF or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is an increasingly common presentation of heart failure (HF) with diverse comorbidities and few verified treatments. We are collaborating in UK-HFpEF, a large national study designed to examine phenotypes of HFpEF.

Using multiomics and bioinformatic approaches in conjunction with imaging could reveal novel biotargets and pathways for interventional treatments. Proof of concept studies using smaller cohorts have laid the foundation for larger scale studies.

HFrEF or heart failure with reduced ejection fraction can improve with current therapies, leading to normalisation of ejection fraction and improved prognosis. A cohort from BioStat-HF led to clinical characterisation of this strata of HF and ongoing multiomic studies suggest a number of potential targets leading to this improved prognosis.

MRC-funded partnership involving 10 UK centres – The National Phenome Centre/Imperial College London, Phenome Centre Birmingham/University of Birmingham, Cardiff University, University of Liverpool, University of Cambridge, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), University of Aberystwyth, University of Aberdeen and ourselves – aims to collectively advance the field of phenomics/metabolomics within the national and international landscape.

As the clinical translational lab, our lab’s task is to analyse large cohorts as well as to develop platforms and methods for multiplexed assays.

Co-lead of international network that includes the University of Texas, University of Kentucky, University of Washington, Yale University, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Ghent University, and ourselves, to investigate the cellular and molecular drivers of acute aortic dissection to discover new biomarkers and therapeutics to prevent and treat the condition.

The gut microbiome has been recently shown to contribute to cardiovascular disease mechanisms and outcomes. The host-microbiome interaction involves production of metabolites by the microbiome that affect host/human disease – the gut/heart axis.

Studies by our lab have contributed to contemporary understanding of how gut-derived metabolites (e.g. choline/carnitine-derived metabolites such as trimethylamine-N-oxide/TMAO and related metabolites) contribute to CVD.

Medication non-adherence is a leading cause of treatment failure across hypertension, heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. Through the National Centre for Adherence Testing (NCAT), Leicester is a world leader in mass-spectrometry-based chemical adherence testing, providing objective measurement of drug exposure.

NCAT works with international leaders in adherence science, and over 50 hypertension clinics use its testing. Following the development of a ~60-drug cardiovascular LC-MS/MS panel, the programme is now extending this to aspirin, a cornerstone therapy with highly variable biological response. 

The platform now includes quantitative pharmacokinetic profiling to detect partial adherence and dose–concentration relationships.

In parallel, the group studies the behavioural and psychological drivers of non-adherence, including perceived drug intolerance and beliefs about medicines, in collaboration with the School of Psychology and Vision Sciences.

Digital apps are being developed to translate biochemical results and provide support for clinical decisions. Education programmes for healthcare professionals and community-based adherence initiatives are also being developed to address major gaps in clinical training.

Together, this creates a precision-medicine framework that links biology, behaviour and clinical decision-making.