Eduardo Svoren

Clinical Research Fellow

Gene Expression in Cardiac Surgery

Cardiac surgery continues to be associated with a significant mortality and a considerable risk of postoperative complications. Much of this morbidity and mortality is related to a dysfunctional host inflammatory response. There is evidence that individual variation in this highly regulated response is influenced by genetic diversity at the DNA sequence level. We aim to define sequential patterns of gene expression before, during and after cardiac surgery, and to determine the extent of diversity in this response between individual patients. As a model of the acute inflammatory response in humans, analysis of genome-wide patterns of gene expression over time provides a unique opportunity to understand differential gene expression and the pathways involved.

We have completed an initial pilot of gene expression study from collected circulating leukocytes in 15 patients confirming the feasibility of our approach and providing a detailed analysis of the kinetics of gene expression.

Therefore, we aim to investigate the influence of DNA sequence variation on gene expression patterns in a larger cohort of 105 patients undergoing cardiac surgery in which gene expression at the selected time points will be correlated with genome-wide SNP diversity to map expression quantitative trait loci.

Email: svoreneduardo@yahoo.com

Keywords: CABG, Cardiac Surgery, Genetics, Gene Expression

This project is sponsored by the Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry and supported by an Young Investigator Award (2008) from the Intensive Care Society