Red blood cells and heart protection in people with diabetes

The Red Blood Cell as a Mediator and Therapeutic Target in Cardiovascular Disease

This project tests whether red blood cells help protect the heart after a heart attack and how they are changed in people with type 2 diabetes.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 500 (estimated)
• Ages: 25 Years to 80 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Karolinska Institutet (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Stockholm, Swsden)
• Trial ID: NCT07151222 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Researchers will collect red blood cells from people with type 2 diabetes, patients who have had myocardial infarction, and healthy volunteers and study their effects in laboratory bioassays. Experiments include isolated hearts subjected to ischemia–reperfusion and isolated artery preparations with readouts such as left ventricular function, infarct size, and endothelial function. The team will perform ex vivo pharmacological manipulations focused on the nitric oxide–soluble guanylate cyclase (NO–sGC) signaling pathway to define mechanisms of protection and injury. Results will be compared across donor groups to identify how diabetes alters RBC signaling and to explore whether targeting RBC function could be a therapeutic approach.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal participants include people with type 2 diabetes, patients who have recently had a myocardial infarction, and healthy volunteers who can donate blood and share basic clinical information.

Not a fit: This is an observational laboratory study and does not provide direct treatment, so patients seeking immediate therapeutic benefit or those without diabetes or heart disease are unlikely to gain direct clinical benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to new treatments that target red blood cells or the NO–sGC pathway to reduce heart damage after myocardial infarction, especially in people with type 2 diabetes.

How similar studies have performed: Prior laboratory and ex vivo studies have suggested that RBC NO–sGC signaling influences vascular and cardiac function, but translating these findings into clinical therapies remains largely untested.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Type 2 diabetes

Exclusion Criteria:

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Where this trial is running

Stockholm, Swsden

• Karolinska Institutet — Stockholm, Swsden, Sweden (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: John Pernow, MD — Karolinska Institutet
• Study coordinator: John Pernow, MD

Conditions: Diabetes Mellitus, Red blood cells, Nitric oxide, diabetes