Erasmus MC : Project number 1

Ischemic heart disease, in particular myocardial infarction, and hypertension are major causes of heart failure in western countries. Following myocardial infarction or chronic exposure to pressure-overload, the heart undergoes extensive alterations in muscle mass and geometry. This cardiac remodeling is associated with an increased likelihood of progression towards overt heart failure, particularly in the setting of an ageing population.
Research within Project Group 1 is aimed at improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the progression from ischemic heart disease towards heart failure in order to identify novel targets for therapy. For this purpose, our research focuses on the pathogenesis and therapy of (i) myocardial infarction as a result of ischemia-reperfusion damage, (ii) the cardiac remodeling that follows in the days-weeks after myocardial infarction, including infarct expansion and cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction, (iii) myocardial perfusion abnormalities in post-infarct remodeled and pressure-overload hypertrophied myocardium, (iiii) pulmonary hypertension secondary to the left ventricular dysfunction produced by myocardial infarction or systemic pressure overload. Furthermore, we study (v) the effects of aging and exercise training on cardiac remodeling and dysfunction following myocardial infarction and chronic pressure overload and (vi) the influence of age on the cardiac responses to hemodynamic overload.