Can a new test identify people at high risk of heart attacks and strokes?

Translating a novel CT imaging method to identify vascular inflammation and vulnerable plaques

Professor Charalambos Antoniades at the University of Oxford wants to develop a new simple test that will identify people at high risk of heart attacks and strokes earlier than is currently possible. This could transform how we prevent and treat these diseases. A heart attack is caused when a fatty plaque in the artery ruptures. This can lead to the formation of a clot, which can block the supply of blood to the heart. Current diagnostic tests only detect changes in the shape and structure of the coronary arteries once damage has already taken place. Professor Antoniades aims to develop this new method to identify changes in the fat surrounding the coronary arteries and use this to look for fatty plaques that are unstable. If a plaque is unstable or vulnerable it is at a higher risk of rupturing. Professor Antoniades has discovered that these plaques release chemicals that prevent small immature fat cells turning in to bigger mature ones. In this project Professor Antoniades will develop a test to measure changes in the fat and use this as an indicator to predict plaque rupture and therefore risk of heart attack. He will also investigate whether this technique can identify people who are more prone to developing new plaques, or those whose plaques are likely to worsen, and whether the test can predict future events such as heart attacks or strokes.