Heart attacks, caused by blockages in the coronary arteries, cause a lack of blood to the heart. This can cause damage to the heart that persists even though the blockage can be removed, and ultimately lead to heart failure. This research team have discovered previously that the rapid aging of heart cells after a heart attack releases proteins that can contribute to the ongoing damage. This project is going to explore whether measuring the levels of these proteins in a patient’s blood is a good predictor of recovery from a heart attack. If found to be the case, this could provide a new therapeutic target for post-heart attack recovery and preventing heart failure.

Heart attacks occur when a blockage in one of the coronary arteries causes a lack of blood flow to the heart. This can be very dangerous and even fatal. This lack of blood flow to the heart during a heart attack can damage the heart itself, and means that even if the blockage is remedied, the health of the heart can continue to decline. This can ultimately lead to the development of heart failure.

This research team, led by Dr Gavin Richardson at the University of Newcastle, have previously discovered that after a heart attack, some of the cells in the heart undergo rapid aging (known as myocardial senescence) and release proteins which can cause further damage to the heart, and increase the risk of heart failure. Now, this project aims to explore if testing for these aged cell proteins can provide insight into which patients are more likely to develop further cardiac dysfunction and heart failure following a heart attack.

In order to do this, the team will take blood samples from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery. One group will be patients who have recently had a heart attack, and the other group will be those having the surgery for another reason. Analysis will then be carried out to establish whether those who had had a heart attack have higher levels of these proteins than those who had not. It will also be explored whether the level of these proteins can predict how a patient will recover from their heart attack.

Despite extensive existing findings suggesting a link between heart attacks, these senescence proteins and heart failure, it has yet to be demonstrated comprehensively in humans. This study aims to fill that gap in knowledge. If it is found that these senescence cell proteins can predict heart failure, it will become a potential therapeutic target for preventing further damage to the heart after a heart attack. This could improve recovery, decrease the chance of repeat occurrences, and ultimately decrease the likelihood of heart failure.