This method can be used to study the underlying mechanisms of right ventricular failure, identify new drug targets, and investigate the effect of potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of right ventricular failure. A major challenge in models of pulmonary trunk bending is to induce different stages of right ventricular pathology, especially the early stages of right ventricular remodeling with mild hypertrophy have been overlooked in published protocols. The underlying mechanisms of right ventricular failure in pulmonary hypertension remain inadequately understood.
We investigate the initial molecular changes in mild right ventricular pathology, which might offer greater reversibility than later stages. The method enables us to evaluate right ventricular function independently from the pulmonary vasculature. Thus, we can investigate the direct effects of new therapeutic compounds on the right ventricle.
This may increase our understanding of the underlying molecular pathways in the development of right ventricular failure, and thereby lead to the discovery of new therapeutic strategies for treating RV failure in patients with pulmonary hypertension.
