The HOPE Atlas study

Visualising cardiovascular pathology using Computed Tomography: The Heart multi-Omics imaging Atlas ProjEct (HOPE Atlas)

Study Background

This project focusses on big data, or ‘–omics’, technology applications as they relate to the detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as coronary artery disease (CAD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) through radiology, genetics, chemistry and biology methods. We have recently demonstrated the relationship between adipose tissue, or fat, and the disease processes of CVD including CAD and AF. Importantly, we have also established the relationships between these diseases and signals we can detect on non-invasive computed CT scans. This relies on radiomics, the scientific field of utilising CT segmentation methods and data-characterisation algorithms to extract large datasets from medical images. These data have been demonstrated to reveal information related to pathological mechanisms occurring on a tissue and cellular level of both CAD and AF.

The next stage is to provide the “ground truth” for the presence and the levels of these signals. In this study we will correlate the CT imaging features with laboratory analysis of these disease processes. The comparison of the two different approaches will be instrumental in discovering the potential utility of new imaging features and techniques. This will be the first study linking CT images with the biological and morphological characteristics of heart tissue.

Study Objectives

The overarching objective of the study is to build imaging profiles of the human heart with analysis of specific and targeted disease areas, in order to make a link with underlying biology driving cardiovascular and thromboembolic diseases. This will in turn hopefully develop new imaging biomarkers to detect abnormal early cardiovascular biology signals, identifying the patients at risk for cardiovascular events and stroke. At the same time we hope to develop new techniques in post-mortem imaging.

Study investigators

Professor Charalambos Antoniades¹, Dr Cheng Xie¹, Professor Ian Roberts², Professor Keith Channon¹, Professor Stefan Neubauer¹, Dr Tina Mackinnon³, Dr Peter Cox⁴, Dr Henry West¹, Mrs Sheena Thomas¹, Dr Ileana Badi¹, Dr Zoe Traill³.

1. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford.

2. Cellular Pathology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

3. Radiology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

4. Neuroradiology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Research Funding

This study is supported by the British Heart Foundation.

Study Approval

South Central – Oxford B Research Ethics Committee has reviewed and approved the study (20/SC/0394).

Participant Information Sheet