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Sarah Birkhoelzer

MD, PGCertMedED, MRCP


Clinical Research Fellow

Investigation of skeletal and cardiac muscle metabolism in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Modulation of cardiac metabolism in heart muscle disease

My thesis aims to investigate knowledge gaps in modulating cardiac and skeletal muscle metabolism in heart muscle disease. I investigate how cardiac metabolism in heart failure can be modulated with the following three studies: 

  1. Determining the impact of iron repletion on cardiac and skeletal muscle energetics in patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy with reduced ejection fraction. 

  1. Industry funded Phase 2 clinical trial Evaluating the impact of the cardiac mitotrope and partial fatty acid oxidation (pFOX) inhibitor Ninerafaxstat on myocardial energetics, metabolism, and function in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. 

  1. Studying the metabolic consequences of cardiac hypertrophy and the impact of pressure changes on cardiac metabolism with hyperpolarised cardiac MR spectroscopy with the focus on patients with severe aortic stenosis before and after treatment with TAVI.