Understanding right heart fat in PAH and how it affects function

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

If funded, researchers at Vanderbilt will use imaging and tissue samples to understand how fat builds up in the right ventricle in PAH and how this relates to heart muscle function and exercise capacity. The project builds on findings that link lipid metabolism problems to PAH and RV lipid accumulation, and it aims to identify mechanisms that could be targeted with therapies like metabolic drugs. By combining human data with analyses from muscle and heart tissue, the study seeks to connect changes in lipid processing to worse heart performance. The ultimate goal is to pave the way for treatments that improve heart function and quality of life for PAH patients.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  Nashville, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Brittain, Evan L — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Study coordinator: Brittain, Evan L

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

• Understanding how blood flow and pressure affect lungs in PAH

  This grant studies how abnormal blood flow and pressure contribute to pulmonary arterial hypertension and how patient factors shape these effects, with the aim of guiding better therapies.

  NIH research University of Washington · Seattle, United States · NIH-11531183

• Asporin as a double-targeted therapy and biomarker for a serious artery disease

  This project tests a protein called asporin as both a treatment and a biomarker for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to help people with this life-threatening condition.

  NIH research University of California Los Angeles · Los Angeles, United States · NIH-11450594

• Platelets and fibroblasts linked to energy use in a hard-to-treat blood vessel disease

  A research team at the University of Pittsburgh is studying how platelet energy metabolism and fibroblast glutamine use interact in systemic sclerosis-related pulmonary arterial hypertension to improve diagnosis and treatment.

  NIH research University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · Pittsburgh, United States · NIH-11419895

• A biatrial dual‑lumen catheter to help the heart and lungs in pulmonary arterial hypertension

  A new double‑lumen catheter is being developed to unload the right side of the heart and protect the lungs for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

  NIH research Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · New York, United States · NIH-11418121

• Endothelial inflammation and Src kinase in early pulmonary arterial hypertension

  Researchers are studying how inflammation in the lining of blood vessels and a protein called Src kinase contribute to early lung artery remodeling in people with mild PAH.

  NIH research Brigham and Women's Hospital · Boston, United States · NIH-11411210

• Cardiopulmonary chip model to study right heart disease from high blood pressure in the lungs

  A tiny heart-lung chip is being developed to understand why the right side of the heart enlarges in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension and to test targeted treatments.

  NIH research Medluidics LLC · Elk Grove, United States · NIH-11410451

About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.