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UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science

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Centre for Cardiovascular Disease Imaging

The focus of our group is to understand the heart and use this to improve the lives of patients. We develop new tests and measurement techniques linking technical development to human variation (health, rare and common diseases) from idea to global delivery. Examples include LGE, T1, T2, ECV mapping, perfusion mapping, AI analytics, new metrology/QC frameworks, rapid CMR and CMR for pacemakers. We are one of the most innovative global research groups in cardiology. We aim to change how people think about the heart and accelerate delivery across boundaries (clinical disciplines, basic science, global healthcare).

Lead

Professor James Moon

 

Senior academic team/collaborators:
1. Dr Peter Kellman, NIH (visiting professor UCL and Barts)
2. Dr Charlotte Manisty June 2014: Senior Lecturer in Heart failure and CMR UCL and Barts
3. Prof Marianna Fontana, Deputy director, National Amyloid Centre and Director, CMR
4. Dr Guy Lloyd December 2014: Echo lead (former president BSE, BSE secretary)
5. Dr Christos Bourantas (invasive imaging) UCL and Barts
6. Dr Leon Menezes, lead in nuclear cardiology across UCLH and Barts 
7. Dr Gaby Captur, senior lecturer in rare diseases and health/aging, UCL, Barts and Royal Free 
8. Dr Thomas Treibel, senior lecturer, BHF Intermediate, UCL and Barts
9. Dr Rhodri Davies, senior lecturer, machine learning for medical imaging, UCL and Barts
10. Dr Luis Lopes, senior lecturer, genetic cardiomyopathy UCL and Barts 
11. Dr Viviana Maestrini, senior lecturer, La Sapienza, Rome
12. Dr Rebecca Kozor, senior lecturer, director of CMR, University of Sydney, Australia
13. Dr Camilla Torlasco, senior lecturer, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Director of CMR, Milan

In collaboration with Dr Francesca Pugliese (CT) and Prof Steffen Petersen (Queen Mary University)

Infrastructure (UCLH BRC, including BHC, CMIC, Royal Free, Great Ormond Street).

  • Barts Heart Centre: the largest cardiac centre in Europe including the largest global CMR centre, Europes largest cardiac CT services; UKs largest echo service.
  • Chenies Mews Imaging Centre: part of the UCL phenotyping centre, including 13 research clinic rooms, DEXA, 3x CPEX, and space for 20 researchers (Profs A Hughes, N Chatu
  • Royal Free, Great Ormond Street: 3x Aera

 

  • Hardware: CMR: 3x Aera, 2x Prisma, all upgraded with 32-64 core Linux boxes and cloud reconstruction. CT: 1x Force. Echo: 19 machines, 5 sites. Nuclear: 4 sites inc PET-CT.
  • Activity (pa): 18,000 CMRs, 4500 cardiac CTs, 60,000 echos, 2500 nuclear cardiac scans.
  • Software: 3 CVI servers, ~30 workstations; Syngo.via x 2 networks, Hermes, Tomtec, GE image vault, REDCap running >250 studies.  5.7Tb image Corelab. SFTP file exchange server

National/International Collaborations

  • COVIDsortium: The leading longitudinal mild disease COVID-19 cohort (~10 university collaboration).
  • AS700 – a 7 centre UK CMR study in severe AS
  • Fabrys400 a 6 centre CMR study (Birmingham, London x 3, Sydney, Brisbane)
  • T1MES program - a 79 centre CMR T1 mapping phantom standardisation project
  • REDCap for UK cardiovascular research. Currently 250 research projects
  • Marathon platform: 250 subjects pre and post training for first marathon.
  • UCL:NIH partnership for new sequence validation by Peter Kellman
  • Perfusion mapping group: 13 centre collaboration                                                                                                                                                                                                        
  • Rapid CMR: projects in 8 countries.  www.rapidcmr.com, links to 27 other countries.                                                                                                                                  
  • Heartome1000: Advanced imaging and 1000 cardiac biopsies to basic science (Utrecht, Pamplona, ICH)                                                                                                            
  • Artificial Intelligence: 4 key centres: increase cardiac imaging precision
  • MRI for pacemakers: aiming for 50,000 UK scans pa, saving 500 lives. www.mrimypacemaker.com
  • Advanced HCM phenotyping: DTI, ECGi, perfusion mapping for HCM (4 centres)

Current grants

 Around 14 active grants

  • 2022 FS/CRTF/21/24269 “Deep structural phenotype of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; from mutation to hypertrophy” George Joy  £209,391.99
  • 2021  ~8 COVID grants eg MRC UKRI £725K, NIHR rolling COVID £800K all as co-applicant
  • 2020  Barts Charity: COVIDsortium: £1.46m. Chief investigator, plus extension funding
  • 2020  SBRI phase 2 OpenCare commercialisation of AI for cardiac analysis £700K co-applicant                                   
  • 2019  Multiple AI grants (BHF x 3; SBRI phase 1)
  • 2019  Dr Luis Lopes, Senior Lecturer, MRC CARP, Profs Elliott/Moon
  • 2019  Dr Tom Treibel, Senior Lecturer, BHF Intermediate, Profs Moon/Hughes
  • 2019  Dr Rhodri Davies, Senior Lecturer, CAP-AI/BHF accelerator, Prof Moon/Hughes/Alexander
  • 2018   Arrhythmia in Fabry Disease: Role of Implantable Loop Recorders.’ £800K co-I
  • 2018   Dr Kush Patel, the role of the myocardium in TAVI patients (Edwards) ~60K
  • 2018   The pathophysiology of revascularisation of the poor LV: £150K, Barts Charity
  • 2017   Rebecca Hughes: The extended spectrum of apical HCM, £250K BHF                                                               
  • 2016   The new cardiac phenotyping centre, UCL (2 magnets - £1.39million contribution UCLH charity)