An experimental study regarding the effectiveness of PDE5 inhibition to prevent atrial fibrillation (Mr Nathan Denham)
Dr Katharine Dibb and her colleagues at the University of Manchester are investigating a new way to treat the most common irregular heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation (AF). AF can lead to a person having a stroke or heart attack. Calcium plays a major role in regulating the rhythm of the heart. We know that enzymes called phosphodiesterases control the increase of calcium in heart cells that controls the heart beat. It has been found that, in people with AF, the way heart cells handle calcium changes and calcium leaks out of ‘stores’ in the cell. But we don’t understand how these changes differ between cells in different chambers of the heart. Dr Dibb has discovered that people taking Viagra, a drug that is normally used to treat erectile dysfunction, are less likely to have AF. Viagra works by blocking phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5), and Dr Dibb believes blocking it could prevent calcium from leaking out of the cell and be a potential treatment for people with AF. In this project, a student working with Dr Dibb will work out how PDE5 controls the store of calcium in heart cells in the atria of the heart, how this affects the heart beat, and if targeting PDE5 fixes the calcium leak found during AF. This work could reveal if blocking PDE5 is a new way to stop AF developing or restore the normal heart beat in people with AF.
Project details
| Grant amount | £258,203 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Fellowships |
| Application type | Clinical Research Training Fellowship |
| Start Date | 01 September 2017 |
| Duration | 3 years, 3 months |
| Reference | FS/17/54/33126 |
| Status | In Progress |
