A new technology to transform cardiac risk management by imaging coronary artery inflammation

“心血管疾病（CVD）在世界范围内不断增加，这在很大程度上是由于肥胖和糖尿病的全球流行。仅在英国就有700万人患有心血管疾病，医疗费用为90亿英镑，经济负担为190亿英镑。在心血管疾病中，动脉壁中形成的“斑块”可以逐渐缩小，也可以突然破裂，导致突然堵塞，导致心脏病发作或死亡。斑块的形成和心脏病发作的突然发生都是由动脉壁的炎症引起的，这是理解，检测和治疗CVD的关键因素。然而，目前用于常规CVD诊断的大量扫描中没有一种可以识别动脉壁的炎症。诊断技术中的这一重大“差距”给患者提供了不准确的建议，测试和药物治疗效率低下，浪费，未能充分利用强大的新药，无法"靶向“最需要它们的患者。我们最近发现，动脉周围的脂肪组织”感知“炎症的存在，并且这可以通过新的分析技术来检测，所述新的分析技术可以应用于已经在常规临床使用中的现有心脏计算机断层摄影血管造影术（CTTA）扫描。这种方法可以识别出心脏病发作和心血管疾病死亡的高风险人群，超出了目前的诊断测试。该研究成果已在领先的科学期刊上发表，并引起了国际媒体的关注。我们目前正在努力将这项强大的新技术开发成经过仔细测试的商业产品，以改善患者，医生和制药行业对CVD的诊断和治疗。我们将通过Caristo Diagnostics实现这一目标，Caristo Diagnostics是我们从牛津大学新分拆出来的公司，与伦敦、莱斯特和牛津的3家合作医院合作。首先，我们将完善新成像技术的技术方面，以确保在医院使用的不同类型的CT扫描仪的性能和一致性都很好。下一步，我们将开发一种基于网络的自动化服务，并获得所有必要的监管批准，用于快速可靠地分析心脏CT扫描。最后，我们将进行一项临床试验，涉及接受CCTA扫描的CVD患者，以证明临床有效性并检测药物治疗的效果。Caristo的新成像技术将改变我们目前诊断CVD的方式，指导个性化治疗策略的部署。"

"Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are increasing world-wide, due in large part to the global epidemics of obesity and diabetes. CVD affects 7 million people in the UK alone, with healthcare costs of £9bn and an economic burden of £19bn.In CVD, formation of 'plaques' in the artery wall can either narrow progressively or can break open suddenly, causing an abrupt blockage that results in a heart attack or death. The formation of plaques and the sudden occurrence of heart attacks are both caused by inflammation in the wall of the artery, which is a critical factor in understanding, detecting and treating CVD. However, none of the enormous number of scans used for routine CVD diagnosis can currently identify inflammation in the artery wall. This major 'gap' in diagnostic technology gives inaccurate advice to patients, is inefficient and wasteful of tests and drug treatments, and fails to take full advantage of powerful new drugs, that cannot be 'targeted' to the patients who need them most.We have recently discovered that the fat tissue surrounding the artery 'senses' the presence of inflammation, and this can be detected by a new analysis technique that can be applied to existing cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTTA) scans that are already in routine clinical use. This method identifies people at high risk of heart attack and CVD death, above and beyond current diagnostic tests. The research work has already been published in leading scientific journals, and generated international media interest.We are now working to develop this powerful new technology into a carefully tested, commercial product, to improve the diagnosis and treatment of CVD, for patients, doctors and the pharmaceutical industry. We will achieve this through Caristo Diagnostics, our new spin-out company from the University of Oxford, working with 3 collaborating hospitals in London, Leicester and Oxford. First, we will refine the technical aspects of the new imaging technology to ensure that performance and consistency is excellent across different types of CT scanners used in hospitals. Next, we will develop an automated web-based service, with all of the necessary regulatory approvals, for rapid and reliable analysis of heart CT scans. Finally, we will conduct a clinical trial, involving patients with CVD undergoing CCTA scans, to demonstrate clinical effectiveness and to detect the effects of drug treatments. Caristo's new imaging technology will transform the current ways that we diagnose CVD, guiding the deployment of personalised therapeutic strategies."