# Coronary Flow Reserve to Assess Hidden Risk: Focus on Women, Heart Failure, and Inflammation

> **NIH NIH K23** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2021 · $199,800

## Abstract

7. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT:
For over two decades, the annual cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rate has been higher for women as
compared to men, yet obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is less prevalent in women. Coronary
angiography is the gold standard for diagnosing obstructive CAD and remains a cornerstone of modern CVD
care, but it cannot identify diffuse atherosclerosis and small-vessel disease. These may contribute to adverse
CVD events, including heart failure, from resultant coronary vasomotor dysfunction, microvascular disease,
and myocardial ischemia. Thus, even patients without significant obstructive CAD may be at high risk for
adverse CVD events. CANDIDATE: Dr. Viviany Taqueti is an early career cardiologist, imager, and physician-
scientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA with a longstanding interest in endothelial and
cardiomyocyte function and vascular inflammation. Her goal is to become an independent clinical investigator
and leader in leveraging imaging data from a breadth of study designs to better define ischemic heart disease
phenotypes and pathophysiology, ultimately to inform future therapeutic trials. This K23 application presents a
comprehensive training plan including structured mentorship (with Dr. Marcelo Di Carli), a well-developed
advisory committee (with Drs. Paul Ridker, Scott Solomon, and Bairey Merz), and a tailored didactic curriculum
in advanced statistical and imaging methods, which together will provide Dr. Taqueti with the skills necessary
to achieve this goal and transition into a successful independent investigator. ENVIRONMENT: The
Cardiovascular Imaging Group at Brigham and Women's Hospital offers exposure to a diverse range of faculty
members in the Departments of Radiology and Medicine who are engaged in basic, clinical, and population
health research, and provides a unique environment for cross-departmental collaborations. BWH is a world-
class center for myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and noninvasive
quantification of coronary flow reserve (CFR). Importantly, its leadership is dedicated to protecting Dr. Taqueti's
time for research and career development activities, and to foster her development as an independent
translational investigator. Dr. Taqueti will also have access to resources at the Harvard Catalyst Clinical and
Translational Science Center and the Harvard School of Public Health. RESEARCH SUMMARY: The objective
of this proposal is to utilize a novel, noninvasive imaging method of quantifying coronary blood flow to
understand mechanisms of CVD outcomes in women and men across the anatomic CAD spectrum. Coronary
flow reserve (CFR), calculated as the ratio of hyperemic to rest myocardial blood flow as quantified
noninvasively by positron emission tomography (PET), is an integrated noninvasive measure of large and
small vessel CAD and myocardial ischemia, and identifies patients at risk for CVD death independently of
angiographic d...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10162411
- **Project number:** 5K23HL135438-05
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Viviany R Taqueti
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $199,800
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10162411

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10162411, Coronary Flow Reserve to Assess Hidden Risk: Focus on Women, Heart Failure, and Inflammation (5K23HL135438-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10162411. Licensed CC0.

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