Scottish aortic stenosis longitudinal imaging and biomarker programme
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Scottish Aortic stenosis Longitudinal Imaging and Biomarker (SALTIRE) Programme
IRAS ID
320555
Contact name
David Newby
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
In patients with narrowing of the aortic valve (aortic stenosis), the valve becomes thickened with scarring (fibrosis) and hardening (calcification) of the valve leaflets. Progression of the disease is also due to scarring (fibrosis) of the heart muscle. In order to be able to develop effective treatments to slow down or stop progression of aortic stenosis, understanding the balance between fibrosis and calcification at varying stages of the disease will be crucial.
In order to better understand this process, we will use Echocardiography, CT Angiography and MRI (standard imaging investigations in the NHS) as well as state-of-the-art scanning technology called Positron Emission Tomography (PET) using radiotracers (a colourless liquid injected into a vein in order to take the pictures). These radiotracers have been used in recent research studies investigating heart muscle and heart valve diseases. These tests will help us measure the severity of aortic stenosis and the amount of activity of fibrosis and calcification at different time points during the study.
We plan to recruit up to 300 people for this study and follow them over a 4 year study period. Some participants may have already undergone research assessments and we will invite them for repeat assessments.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
23/NS/0027
Date of REC Opinion
3 Apr 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion