Detecting early right-heart changes and future lung high blood pressure in systemic sclerosis
Official title: Early Detection of Right Ventricular Dysfunction and Emerging Pulmonary Hypertension in Systemic Sclerosis
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11261524 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses advanced heart ultrasound and machine learning to spot early right-heart changes that may predict pulmonary hypertension in people with systemic sclerosis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $565,107 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL162851-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261524 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with systemic sclerosis who can come for echocardiograms and follow-up visits, especially those without a current diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who already have advanced pulmonary arterial hypertension or severe irreversible right-heart failure are unlikely to gain direct benefit from early-detection methods focused on future risk.
What this research studies
Researchers will use advanced echocardiography to measure how the right side of the heart contracts and responds under stress in people with systemic sclerosis. They will combine these new echo measures with standard screening tests and follow patients over time to look for patterns of change. Statistical modeling and machine-learning techniques will be used to define subgroups and trajectories that signal higher future risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The goal is to create objective, noninvasive markers that could flag patients earlier than current methods.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could find people at high risk for pulmonary hypertension earlier so treatment can begin sooner and potentially improve outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work, including by this team, has shown early right-ventricle changes detectable by echocardiography, but existing screening algorithms still have limited accuracy so the approach is promising but not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mukherjee, Monica — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Mukherjee, Monica
Related research
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.