Right-heart fat buildup in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Clinical and Mechanistic Understanding of Right Ventricular Steatosis in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
This project looks at whether fat builds up in the right side of the heart in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension and whether that fat links to blood markers or can be changed with treatments like metformin.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11158836 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have pulmonary arterial hypertension, researchers would use special MRI/MRS scans to measure fat in your right ventricle and take blood tests for lipid and insulin-related markers. They will compare people with PAH to matched controls and study autopsy heart tissue as well as animal and lab models to understand how fat buildup might harm the right ventricle. The team will also test whether medicines such as metformin can reduce right-ventricle lipid in lab models and search for blood markers that reflect heart fat. All of this is combined to find treatable causes of right-sided heart failure and exercise limitation in PAH.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (including idiopathic or heritable forms) who can undergo imaging and blood tests are the most likely participants.
Not a fit: People without PAH or whose heart problems are due to left-heart disease or other non-PAH causes are unlikely to benefit from these findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new treatments that protect the right side of the heart, improve exercise ability, and reduce deaths in PAH.
How similar studies have performed: Prior small human and animal studies found high right-ventricle lipid in PAH and suggested impaired fat oxidation and possible benefit from metformin, but clinical benefit in patients remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, United States
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Nashville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brittain, Evan L — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Brittain, Evan L
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 below.