Exosomes to prevent post-operative atrial fibrillation

Fifty thousand Canadians undergo open-chest heart surgery every year. Albeit effective at fixing heart disease, half of these patients slip into an abnormal heart rhythm called “atrial fibrillation”. Because atrial fibrillation increases the risk of heart failure and stroke, doctors are eager for therapies to keep post-operative patients in normal rhythm.
Recently, we found that injection of exosomes at the time of open chest surgery prevents atrial fibrillation. Exosomes are fluid filled microparticles created and released from the membrane of stem cells. They contain factors that participate in cell-to-cell signaling to influence tissue function.
In this study, we will compare blood to heart stem cell exosomes to see if the source influences prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation. We then see if our heart-derived exosomes can prevent other, more common, forms of atrial fibrillation. This information is critical to develop this promising approach for the ~200,000 Canadians with atrial fibrillation.

Faculty Supervisor:

Manoj Lalu

Student:

Partner:

University of Ottawa Heart Institute

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

University of Ottawa

Program: