Grant: Project Grant

Aortic valve stenosis is a common heart disease that affects about 2% of individuals above 65 years. The valve becomes thickened and calcium accumulates, which blocks the blood flow from the heart to the circulation. The only available treatment is surgery to replace the aortic valve. Very few blood biomarkers allow to predict the progression of the disease. We propose a project that combines the measurement of proteins in the blood and genetic markers of predisposition to predict aortic valve stenosis and its progression. We will measure a large number of proteins in the blood of patients just before they had a surgery to replace their aortic valve and look at the expression of genes in their valve after they are removed. We will also evaluate the association between genetic scores calculated from millions of DNA variations measured in the blood of patients and the development of aortic valve stenosis. Finally, we will combine all these markers (blood proteins and genetic scores) to predict the development of aortic valve stenosis and its progression. We believe that the discovery of specific biomarkers of aortic valve stenosis and its progression will allow to provide surgery to the patients who need it the most.