Science
BHF Fellow wins prestigious award at international conference
Nikhil Paliwal, one of our Senior Research Fellows at University College London, and his team have been awarded the prestigious Paul Dudley White award at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2024 in Chicago.
Named after one of the founders of the AHA, the Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award promotes Dr White’s vision for excellence in heart and brain research. The award recognises the team of authors with the most impressive scientific abstract from every participating country at the conference.
Nikhil Paliwal, a former American Heart Association Fellow, and team investigated how stiffness in the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body, contributes to heart disease risk.
When the aorta is elastic and stretchy, it can supply smaller vessels with oxygenated blood which then gets delivered around the body. However with age, the aorta may become stiffer, leading to higher blood pressure, and increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Using artificial intelligence to analyse MRI heart scans and blood pressure data the team developed a new way to measure stiffness in the aorta that isn’t affected by variations in blood pressure. Analysing imaging and genetic data from over 45,000 participants from the UK Biobank, the team identified 17 regions within genes that could influence stiffness in the aorta. With many of the genetic regions involved in the organisation of blood vessels, the team has provided new insights into what drives stiffness in the aorta, and could lead to new ways to prevent or treat heart disease.
Nikhil Paliwal, Senior Research Fellows at University College London, said:
“I am thrilled and honoured to have won this prestigious award, and am especially thankful to my colleagues at UCL for their guidance and support throughout this research project.”
We hope this work helps us to better understand how stiffness in the aorta affects the heart, and potentially improve management and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.”