Microvascular dysfunction as a predictor of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death globally and although that cardiovascular (CV) mortality has decreased over the last 10-years it remains a major threat to public health.

During the last decade, the importance of assessing microvascular function has become evident in research on CVD pathophysiology and CV risk stratification.

Challenges with optical technologies for microcirculatory assessment are to provide quantitative, specific and multiparametric data of microvascular status.

I have previously developed models to quantify microcirculatory parameters and investigated microvascular function within the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS).

In this project, I will advance microcirculatory assessment by 1) developing novel models for spatially frequency domain imaging to provide multiparametric data of microcirculatory function in 3 dimensions and 2) correlating microcirculatory measures to CV risk factors, large vessel function and future CV events in a large cohort.The purpose of this research is to develop a measurement modality that can be used in primary health care to identify and quantify microcirculatory dysfunction as a marker of CVD.The project will advance our understanding of CVD pathophysiology, potentially leading to new treatment strategies, and has the potential to improve risk prediction and clinical decision-making for CVD prevention by providing an early and individual marker of vascular dysfunction.