As a clinical DPhil student working with A.Prof Svetlana Reilly, I will be working on the Identifying Novel Biomarkers in Atrial Fibrillation (AF), aims to identify and validate novel circulating and tissue-specific biomarkers associated with AF.
The overarching research question is whether proteomic or genomic signatures detected in peripheral blood reflect underlying myocardial and atrial tissue remodelling processes in AF. Specific objectives are: (1) to compare proteomic or gene-expression profiles from AF and non-AF participants within the UK Biobank cohort, (2) to validate these candidate proteins in clinically phenotyped AF patient database (at Reilly Lab in University of Oxford) using cardiac tissue, coronary sinus (myocardial) and peripheral blood samples collected under existing Biomarkers in AF and Cardiac Fibrosis in Heart Disease Study ethical approvals (REF: 18/SC/0304, 18/SC/0404 respectively), and (3) to investigate mechanistic relevance using patient atrial fibroblast models.
The scientific rationale is that AF development and progression are driven by molecular and structural remodelling of atrial tissue, yet few human studies have integrated systemic proteomic data with myocardial and cellular evidence. UK Biobank’s large-scale Olink proteomic dataset (e.g. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCEP.124.013037) provides an unparalleled opportunity to explore circulating protein signatures associated with AF, incorporating comorbidities, medication use, and imaging data. By cross-referencing these findings with our clinical cohort and tissue-derived proteomics, the study will identify robust biomarkers linked to AF pathophysiology. Integrating molecular and clinical data from both resources will enhance understanding of protein networks underlying atrial structural remodelling and may identify new therapeutic or diagnostic targets for AF.