Centre for Cardiovascular Medicine and Devices

 

The Centre houses a productive transatlantic relationship with Yale University which focuses on research and innovation. Our projects include next-generation stent technology and big data consolidation. Our Yale colleagues include Prof. Alexandra Lansky, one of the Centre’s research leads, alongside Prof. Carlos Mena-Hurtado, Prof. John Forrest and Prof. Eric Velasquez. The Centre also has a strong working relationship with Prof. Bernard Gersh, based at the Mayo Clinic.

The Cardiovascular Devices Hub (CVDHub) sits within this Centre. The CVDHub, partly funded by the ERDF, supports collaborations between academic, clinical, engineering and industrial innovators to develop clinically and commercially viable cardiovascular devices. This novel, cross-speciality unit helps small to medium enterprises (SMEs) over the hurdles involved in taking new innovations to human trials. We are currently building a new space for collaborative interaction which will include flexible meeting and conference facilities.

The overall research objectives of this internationally acknowledged group are:

• Mathur: Role of biologics (stem cells, gene therapy) in the treatment of CV disease. Use of advanced cardiac imaging to examine mechanistic aspects of translational research. Novel devices, first in man trials, device innovation, digital technologies (e.g. Avatars), artificial intelligence, megakaryocyte biology, and the role of platelets in cardiovascular disease.
• Ahluwalia: Effects of nitrite and nitrate on the cardiovascular system, sex differences in cardiovascular function and disease, the role of TRPV1 in vascular reactivity.
• Baumbach: Clinical evaluations of device-based embolic protection to reduce stroke during cardiovascular interventions, definitions of endpoints for neurological injury in cardiovascular trials, new stent technology, first in man use of novel device concepts.
• Lansky: The clinical impact of silent embolic events and consequences on neurocognitive function following TAVR procedures.

Principal Investigators

• Professor Anthony Mathur, Centre Lead
• Professor Amrita Ahluwalia, Deputy Centre Lead (WHRI)
• Professor Andreas Baumbach, Deputy Centre Lead (Barts Heart Centre)
• Professor Alexandra Lanksy, External Scientific Advisor
• Dr Vikas Kapil, Senior Lecturer and Centre Education Lead
• Dr Dan Jones, Senior Lecturer
• Dr Vahitha Abdul Salam, Lecturer
  
• Dr Claudio Raimondi, Lecturer
• Dr Krishnaraj Rathod, Clinical Lecturer
• Dr Rayomand Khambata, Lecturer
• Dr Christos Bourantas, Honorary Senior Lecturer
• Professor Charles Knight, Honorary Chair 
• Professor Richard Schilling, Honorary Chair 
• Professor Peter Groves, Honorary chair

Overseas Faculty

• Professor Eric Velasquez (Yale)
• Professor Carlos Mena-Hurtado (Yale)
• Professor Bernard Gersh (Mayo Clinic)
• Dr Didier Locca (Lausanne University Hospital), Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer

Contact

• HR contact: Shivam Amin, shivam.amin@qmul.ac.uk
• Centre Administrator: Tania Begum, tania.begum@qmul.ac.uk
• PA to Prof. Ahluwalia: Jo Odetola, j.odetola@qmul.ac.uk
• PA to Prof. Lansky: Soni Cox, soni.cox@yale.edu
• PA to Profs Baumbach & Mathur: Alice Reid, a.e.reid@qmul.ac.uk