SBIR Topic 97 - Minimally Invasive Test for Chemotherapy-induced Cardiotoxicity - Phase I

心脏毒性越来越被认为是对许多现有疗法的重大挑战，也是开发新疗法的潜在障碍。例如，尽管癌症患者的存活率有所提高，但化疗引起的心脏毒性已成为一个重大问题。心血管并发症，特别是心力衰竭，是癌症幸存者发病和死亡的重要原因。在小型研究中，如果在亚临床阶段早期实施针对癌症治疗引起的心功能障碍的心脏保护策略是有效的。然而，由于目前技术不足以准确评估和监测心脏结构和功能的变化，对亚临床疾病频率的检测和随后防止功能进一步下降的能力受到限制。需要新的无创策略来检测心脏结构、功能和/或组织的早期亚临床变化，以提高对心脏损伤的检测和监测，从而提高心脏保护和癌症治疗或其他有毒物质暴露的有效性。研究表明，在正常和改变的心脏结构、功能、能量学和代谢方面，现有的或增强的成像技术提高了灵敏度和精度。使用分子变化或生物标志物来增强心脏紊乱的早期检测的临床前或患者研究也是有效的。

Cardiotoxicity is increasingly recognized as a significant challenge to many existing therapies and as a potential barrier to the development of new therapies. For example, despite improved survival from cancer, chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity has emerged as a significant problem. Cardiovascular complication, particularly heart failure, is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among cancer survivors. In small studies, cardioprotective strategies against cancer therapy-induced cardiac dysfunction are effective if implemented early at the subclinical phase. However, detection of the frequency of subclinical disease and subsequent ability to protect against further functional decline are limited by inadequacy of current technologies to accurately assess and monitor changes in cardiac structure and function. Novel non-invasive strategies that detect early subclinical changes in cardiac structure, function, and/or tissue are needed to improve detection and monitoring of cardiac injury in order to improve cardioprotection and effectiveness of cancer therapeutics or other toxic exposure. Studies that demonstrate increased sensitivity and precision of existing or enhanced imaging technologies with respect to normal and altered cardiac structure, function, energetics, and metabolism are sought. Pre-clinical or patient studies using molecular changes or biomarkers to enhance early detection of cardiac derangements are also responsive.