Cardio-oncology

Cardiac dysfunction leading to heart failure can result from anticancer drug-induced cardiotoxicity. It is the second cause of morbidity and mortality among cancer survivors, a group that is growing due to improved cancer treatments. No reliable early markers of drug-induced cardiotoxicity have been identified, and safe, effective drugs to prevent anticancer drug-induced cardiotoxicity are not available. Taking into account the extensive economic and social costs of this condition, it is imperative to develop both early cardiotoxicity markers and efficacious drugs to protect cancer patients against cardiotoxic anticancer drugs. The Cardio-Oncology consortium brings together cardiologists (D. Cardinale), cardiobiologists (C. Nebigil), oncologists (M.W. Chan), chemo-bioinformaticians (I. Tetko), stem cell cardiobiologists (R. Passier) and medicinal chemists (L. Désaubry & Ö. Reis). Together, the consortium aims to 1) develop cardio-protective therapeutics, including in silico, in vitro and in vivo testing, and benchmarking in mouse models and human stem cells, 2) validate and analyse predictive biomarkers of cardiotoxicity in European and Taiwanese cancer patients to detect early cardiac dysfunction and to define the distinctive etiopathogenetic features of cardiotoxicity. The Cardio-Oncology project will deliver biomarker candidates and cardio-protective drug candidates that can be further developed by pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies aiming to improve cancer care.