Research Grants 2013
Seven applications for the 2013 EACTA Research Grant were received. The quality of all the applicationswas exceptionally high. The Scientific Committee carefully reviewed all grants and three applications got the highest and almost equal, scores. The Directory Board endorsed the decisions of the Scientific Committee and the three of the applications were awarded grants. As the Directory Board had increased the total amount of grant money from €30.000 to €45,000,the three applicants were awarded €15,000. The successful applicants have been requested to present the status of their studies at the Annual EACTA meeting in September 2014.The awarded studies were:
Applicant: David Smith, MD, Consultant and senior Lecturer, Southampton General Hospital, UK.
Title: The effect of cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass on the formation of microparticles.
Aim: The primary objective is to characterise platelet microparticles produced during cardiac surgery in terms of their numbers and protein expression on their surface, how these change during and after surgery, and how they are affected by antiplatelet agents. The secondary objectives are to investigate whether there is a relationship between the number/type of microparticles produced during cardiac surgery, and the extent of postoperative bleeding.
Applicant: Michael Vandenheuvel, MD, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium
Title: Effects of experimentally-induced right ventricular afterload mismatch on right ventricular diastolic function
Aim: To clarify the interaction between loading conditions, myocardial relaxation and diastolic function of the right ventricle (RV). To identify how acute changes in afterload (by staged clamping of the pulmonary artery) affects contraction-relaxation coupling in the RV. The hypothesis is that the RV experimentally induced afterload mismatch will impair RV contractile function but will only result in a rightward shift of the end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship without the upward shift (decreased compliance) observed in the LV. A better understanding of the pathophysiological alterations in RV systolic and diastolic function occurring with acute afterload mismatch might be helpful in designing therapeutic strategies in patients suffering from RV failure.
Applicant: Marianne de Schmidt, MD, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany
Title: Impact of Connexin43 induced cardioprotection via mKCa channel - therapeutic option in senescent hearts?
Aim: To investigate whether activation of Connexin43 induces cardioprotection by opening of mKCa channels, and initiates cardioprotection in senescent hearts.