Cardiovascular diseases are globally among the leading causes of mortality. Myocardial fibrosis means accumulation of excess of extracellular matrix in the heart. After myocardial infarction cardiomyocytes die and fibrotic scar is formed to protect the integrity of the heart. Accumulation of excess of fibrotic tissue can also be a response to for example ageing or obesity. Fibrosis increases cardiac tissue stiffness leading to impaired heart function and predisposes to sudden cardiac death. In this research, I will identify new genetic factors leading to myocardial fibrosis and sudden cardiac death in a unique data set of 228 sudden cardiac death victims. I will also investigate the role of miRNA editing, a regulatory mechanism for gene expression, in cardiac fibrosis using patient samples and cell models. Furthermore, I investigate if diagnosis of fibrosis and prediction of sudden cardiac death could be improved by using miRNAs as biomarkers.

2022

2026