Approved Research

The role of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on diabetic cardiomyopathy in the UK biobank

Lay summary

Diabetes is a disease of increased levels of blood sugar in your blood which is known to be a risk for clogging of the arteries and can cause heart attacks. Unfortunately, diabetes is also linked to a reduced function of the heart (i.e. heart failure) however underlying mechanisms are unwell understood. The aim of this project is to investigate the role of heart muscle receptors linked to diabetes in the UKbiobank on the risk of heart failure. Therefore, we investigate the genes of certain receptors that are linked to diabetes. These genes determine how many receptors are on a cell. Every human being has certain tiny mutations in their genes that do not lead to disease but can change the number of receptors on a cell. Some mutations will lead to more receptor on a cell and other will lead to less receptors on a cell. We will analyse this data and aim to clarify whether patients with more receptors on a cell are more likely to develop heart failure. This strategy will help us to understand the link between diabetes and heart failure and further may lead to novel therapies that are of benefit in heart failure.