High resolution imaging of Heart Muscle Disease (cardiomyopathy) biopsies and correlation with known gene mutation

Cardiomyopathies are a family of heart muscle diseases (HMD) which can cause heart failure, stroke, and sudden cardiac death. While the genetics of many HMD are known, and novel medical treatments are in Phase III clinical trial, there is need to understand how this relates to changes in microstructure. In this proposal, we aim to perform multi-scale phase contrast tomography (X-PCI) on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies from HMD patients with known genetic mutations, and further assess whether myocyte and microvascular organisation relate to disease category and genomics, as suggested by our pilot studies. This information will improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of HMD and provide crucial information for interpretation of future ultrafast imaging studies.