The role of BRaf in the heart
It is well known that medicines prescribed to treat one condition can have side effects on other parts of the body. New drugs that are being used to treat some types of cancer may have toxic effects on the heart, but not enough is yet known about their potential impact. This is a one year project to extend the important BHF-funded work of the team, who are studying this question. ‘BRaf inhibitors’ are a class of drugs recently approved for treatment of certain types of cancer, including skin cancer. BRaf mutations are present in up to half of skin cancers and BRaf inhibitors can reduce the size of tumours. However, although BRaf is known to be present in the heart, its role and the impact of inhibiting it is not understood. Professor Clerk and colleagues have found that BRaf inhibitors and some other similar cancer drugs can have an effect on the hearts of mice with high blood pressure. In this study they will confirm their observations and work to understand the mechanisms involved. They will study what BRaf does in the heart by looking at the effects of boosting or deleting this protein in hearts with normal and high blood pressure. Insights from this research could help us protect the hearts of cancer patients while they undergo treatment.
Project details
| Grant amount | £79,654 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 May 2017 |
| Duration | 1 year |
| Reference | PG/17/11/32841 |
| Status | Complete |
