TargetMI: behind the scenes of heart attack research
Genomic data is compared to a reference genome to identify differences in the DNA sequence, known as genetic variants
Heart attacks result from cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. The University of Malta and Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands are collaborating on the EU project TargetMI, funded by the European Innovation Council, with the goal of developing new tests and medications to prevent myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as heart attacks.
The data currently being used in this research comes from 1,098 Maltese participants, around 400 of which have had an MI (the cases), and around 400 who have not (the controls). The rest are relatives of cases, permitting family-based analysis to better identify genetic causes.
TargetMI is making use of a very large multiomic dataset including genomics (DNA data), transcriptomics (RNA data), proteomics (protein data) and metabolomics (metabolite data), to reach the project’s goal.
Metabolites are small substances involved in biological processes which may prove to be good markers of disease. A valuable benefit of this multiomic data is that it is human data which can give better insight into identifying new potential medications compared to data from animals or laboratory experiments.
In TargetMI, genomic data is compared to a reference genome to identify differences in the DNA sequence, known as genetic variants. The frequencies of these variants are compared between cases and controls to determine which variants are associated with MI. Besides seeing what is already known from previous studies on each variant, the researchers can also interrogate the multiomic data to understand what the variants do. They also compare levels of RNA, proteins and metabolites between cases and controls to identify differences.
The TargetMI team aims to identify subtypes of MI, potentially allowing the development of tests and medications for particular subtypes, bringing us closer to personalised medicine
MI is multifactorial, it can be caused by genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors besides interactions between these; genetic effects can be influenced by environmental factors.
Additionally, different people get MI for different reasons. Thus the TargetMI team aims to identify subtypes of MI, potentially allowing the development of tests and medications for particular subtypes, bringing us closer to personalised medicine.
Research participants gave written informed consent for the use of their health and lifestyle information which aids in identifying these subtypes as well as gene-environment interactions.
These analyses are conducted computationally using bioinformatics. Although the analysis process requires time and effort, it will have great benefits. Prevention efforts like medications that prevent MI are vital to reducing the impact of cardiovascular disease on people’s lives.
TargetMI is coordinated by Stephanie Bezzina Wettinger. Visit www.um.edu.mt/projects/ targetmi/ for more information.
Diane Attard, a bachelor of communications (hons) student at the University of Malta, is a volunteer on TargetMI, responsible for communication and dissemination.
Photo of the week
An oil rig toilet
Sound Bites
• Microplastics have been detected in human blood, brain tissue and even bones, where they may weaken skeletal structure and accelerate cell ageing. Recent studies suggest that these particles could worsen metabolic bone diseases like osteoporosis, a risk that’s especially concerning as fractures are projected to rise sharply in the coming decades.
• Alcohol does not just damage the liver, it locks its cells in a strange “in-between” state that prevents them from healing. Even after someone quits drinking, liver cells often get stuck, unable to function normally or regenerate. Scientists have now traced this problem to runaway inflammation, which scrambles the cell’s instructions and silences a key helper protein. By blocking these inflammatory signals in lab tests, they were able to restore the liver’s healing ability – a finding that could point to new treatments beyond transplants.
For more sound bites, listen to Radio Mocha every Saturday at 7.30pm on Radju Malta and the following Monday at 9pm on Radju Malta 2. https://www.fb.com/RadioMochaMalta/.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Bernard Sadow, who is credited with inventing the wheeled suitcase in the 1970s, struggled to find buyers. He was told that men would consider rolling a suitcase ‘unmanly’ and women would expect their luggage to be carried by men.
• H.G. Wells first coined the term ‘atomic bomb’ in a 1914 novel.
• When attacked by a hornet in mid-air, buff-tailed bumblebees stop flying, drop out of the air with the hornet attached and body-slam it into the ground.
• In 1966, human behaviourists raised a chimpanzee as their own and taught her rudimentary sign language. She started swearing almost immediately.
For more trivia, see: www.um.edu.mt/think.
