The Cardiometabolic Disease Group, led by Associate Professor John O’Sullivan, will be conducting the research project “Determining the interaction of ketone metabolism with mitochondrial respiration in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and myocardial infarction” in collaboration with Prof Christopher Loughrey at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), also known as “stiff” heart failure, is now the most common form of heart failure worldwide. Despite drastically poor outcomes for patients with HFpEF, there remain very few treatments.
The Group has recently determined for the first time that the human heart is capable of ketogenesis at physiological levels – a highly significant finding, as ketones have been demonstrated to have a wide range of beneficial effects in heart failure, especially this type of heart failure.
In this project, the Group aims to determine the novel therapeutic effects of upregulation of endogenous ketogenesis and ketone administration, on HFpEF and on other common cardiac diseases like myocardial infarction (heart attack).
“This would open up a new field of therapeutic strategies for HFpEF and other cardiovascular diseases, potentially saving thousands of lives,” says Assoc Prof O’Sullivan.