Spatial and cellular characterisation of regional changes in the left ventricle of patients with mitral valve prolapse.

• Applicants: Privatdozent Dr. Jes-Niels Boeckel; Dr. Maja-Theresa Dieterlen
• Subject Area: Cardiology, Angiology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 555094771

In Germany, mitral regurgitation (MR) is one of the most common valvular heart disease. Mitral valve prolapses (MVP) and MR-associated volume overload leads to adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling, myocardial fibrosis, impaired LV function, arrhythmias, and increased mortality. In fact, patients with MVP have at least three times the risk of sudden cardiac death as the general population. Patients with MVP are characterized by reactive myocardial fibrosis with increased deposition of extracellular matrix in the regions of the LV wall with high mechanical load. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms in the LV of MVP are incompletely understood. Therefore, using state-of-the-art technologies such as single nucleus and spatial sequencing, we aim to characterize the molecular changes in human samples that underlie myocardial remodeling in different regions of the left heart in MVP

• DFG Programme: Research Grants