Metabolic treatment for atrial fibrillation
Official title: Metabolic therapy for atrial fibrillation
Funded at Cleveland VA Medical Research/ed/fdn · NIH-11170764 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try a metabolism-based treatment to reduce atrial fibrillation episodes and slow disease progression in people with AF, especially those with obesity, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cleveland VA Medical Research/ed/fdn NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $100,050 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HL170269-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11170764 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with symptomatic atrial fibrillation, particularly those with obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or who have had or are considering catheter ablation.
✕Less likely to help
People without atrial fibrillation, those with lone AF and no metabolic risk factors, or those with longstanding permanent AF may be less likely to benefit.
What this research studies
If you have AF, this research looks at whether changing heart and whole-body metabolism can lower how often AF happens and prevent it from getting worse. The team will link metabolic risk factors like obesity, diabetes, alcohol use, and high blood pressure to rhythm outcomes and responses to standard treatments such as ablation and antiarrhythmic drugs. They plan to test metabolic interventions alongside usual care and track heart rhythm, symptoms, and recurrence over time. The work aims to identify practical metabolic approaches that could be added to current AF care to reduce recurrences.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reduce AF recurrences, lower the need for repeat ablation or risky antiarrhythmic drugs, and improve quality of life.
How similar studies have gone: Lifestyle and risk-factor management trials (for example weight-loss programs) have reduced AF burden, but therapies that directly target cardiac metabolism are relatively new and have limited clinical testing.
Where this research is happening
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Cleveland VA Medical Research/ed/fdn
Cleveland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sundaram, Varun — Cleveland VA Medical Research/ed/fdn
- Study coordinator: Sundaram, Varun
Related research
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This NIH grant explores how a heart protein called JNK2 may drive atrial fibrillation, blood clots, and stroke, and whether it could serve as a biomarker and new treatment approach.
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A new tool uses patient data and heart MRI markers to identify heart failure patients without atrial fibrillation who might benefit from anticoagulation while minimizing bleeding risk.
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DECIDE-AF: a shared decision tool in your health portal to help prevent strokes in atrial fibrillation
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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.