Alice Sowton

Supervisors: Dr Andrew Murray and Prof Julian Griffin

Title: Substrate switching and its control in diabetic cardiomyopathy

Abstract: There is an increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes in society, and this is associated with the development of a form of heart disease known as diabetic cardiomyopathy. Diabetic cardiomyopathy is an important and poorly understood clinical cause of cardiovascular mortality in individuals with diabetes that impacts upon the ability of the heart to generate sufficient energy to carry out its work. 

This project aims to investigate how energy metabolism in the heart is altered during diabetic cardiomyopathy. This research aims to determine the molecular pathways involved in the development and progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy and may allow the development of new drugs to treat the condition. In particular, the role of ketone metabolism, an important source of energy in the non-diabetic failing heart, will be investigated in the context of diabetic cardiomyopathy, as well as the overlapping metabolic signatures of diabetic cardiomyopathy with hypoxia, a severe metabolic insult with clinical significance.