Approved Research

Variants in mechanotransduction genes on the prognosis of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure

Lay summary

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively. About 1 per 2,500 people is affected. Despite recent progress in medical and surgical treatment, the five-year survival rate is not satisfying. Causative genes of DCM are more than 100; thus, DCM is a heterogeneous disease. Stratification of DCM patients with hopefully a therapy based on genetic variants is critically required. The proposed project answers this unmet need by investigating genetic variants protecting or predisposing DCM based on our recent findings of mechanotransduction-induced inflammation in DCM. We will identify genetic variants in mechanotransduction genes on the prognosis of patients with DCM by investigating the relationship between these variants and the disease outcomes. This study could facilitate future management of DCM. Moreover, it might pave the way toward finding a novel therapy for DCM.