MATRIX - Tackling chemotherapy cardiotoxicity

Описание: Every year around 4 million people are diagnosed with cancer in Europe and undergo chemotherapy treatment. Due to scientific advancement, mortality rate is persistently declining.

However, chemotherapy often has an adverse effect on the patients in the form of cardiac toxicity. It causes heart palpitations, blood pressure fluctuation, and in extreme cases, it can also result in chronic heart failure.

Currently, health experts are facing three cardio-oncology challenges in association with chemotherapy cardiotoxicity: lack of understanding of fundamental mechanisms of the problem, late diagnosis of myocardial damage, which makes it difficult to prevent irreversible damage, and absence of specific and effective therapies.

The European-funded ERC Consolidator project MATRIX, led by Borja Ibañez at the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research and Fundación Jiménez Díaz hospital, is tackling these challenges.

These studies have recently enabled MATRIX to understand the underlying mechanism of the problem and to identify novel markers of cardiotoxicity at an early stage based on cutting edge magnetic resonance imaging.

Based on the new findings and initial preliminary data, the MATRIX project is investigating the autotransplantation of healthy mitochondria to replace those damaged at the heart by cancer treatment.

This innovative and radical treatment aims to positively shift this heart disease paradigm, significantly improving the quality of life of many cancer patients.