Myocardial gene expression in the transplantable heart v1

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Investigation of myocardial gene expression in the transplanted heart by RNA sequencing.

• IRAS ID

  309998

• Contact name

  Luke Williams

• Contact email

  luke.williams5@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Title: Investigation of what happens to heart cells during the transplant process by looking at gene expression

  Background: The process of removing a heart, transporting it and transplanting it into a recipient puts a huge amount of stress on the heart and can result in damage to the cells. The genes within a cell determine how well that cell functions and whether it is able to survive in response to damage and stress. Little is known about what happens to the genes in heart cell during the transplant process. However, new techniques in genetic analysis allow us to determine which genes are involved in this response to stress. By identifying the genes that change in response to this process, we hope to meet the following aims:

  To understand the changes in genes during heart transplant
  To identify gene targets to improve heart transplant function

  Methods: The study will be run at Royal Papworth Hospital and is generously being sponsored by Royal Papworth Hospital Charity. We will take 2 small biopsies (pieces of heart tissue) from 10 hearts that are transplanted into recipients at Royal Papworth Hospital. One biopsy will be taken at the time the heart is removed from the donor. The other biopsy will be taken when the heart is transplanted into the recipient. We will use new genetic analysis techniques to compare the gene expression before and after the transplant in order to meet our aims. We will record basic information on each donor and recipient and their outcomes.

  Benefits: By improving our understanding of what happens to the heart during the transplant process, it is likely that we will find ways to improve that process in order to improve the outcomes for our heart transplant patients.

• REC name

  East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/EE/0028

• Date of REC Opinion

  31 Mar 2023

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion