# Metabolomic Profiles and the Risk of Incident Heart Failure

> **NIH NIH F32** · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $64,778

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This proposal presents a 2-year research fellowship program focused on the study of metabolomic profiling
and risk of incident heart failure in the community. The aim of the proposal is to elucidate the role of disturbed
metabolism in the development of heart failure in an attempt to uncover novel mechanisms of disease
development. The candidate is currently a cardiovascular clinical and research fellow at the Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. The fellowship program will entail dedicated training
in metabolomic profiling and bioinformatics through a combination of laboratory work and didactics including
completion of a Master of Biomedical Informatics Program at Harvard Medical School (MBI). This training will
provide the candidate the necessary skill set and expertise to transition to a career development award. The
candidate's mentor, Dr. Robert E. Gerszten, is a leading expert in the study of metabolomics and
cardiometabolic disease and has led studies of multi-omic profiling in large-scale epidemiological cohorts. The
candidate has a diverse and distinguished group of collaborators and is situated in a rich academic institutional
environment, providing him with the necessary resources for success during his fellowship.
Impaired cardiac and peripheral metabolic processes including significant deficiencies in energy metabolism
characterize the heart failure state. However, its unclear to the extent to which these metabolic alterations are
present and contribute to the development of heart failure prior to the onset of disease. The emerging field of
metabolomics, the study of small molecules or metabolites, allows for deep interrogation of disturbed
metabolism and has elucidated novel associations and mechanisms of cardiometabolic disease years before
disease onset. In preliminary data on a limited set of metabolites, we identify novel associations of metabolites
with incident heart failure in the Jackson Heart Study. We aim to expand our analysis to 300 analytes
measured on our platforms, to investigate the associations of metabolic alterations, including impaired fatty
acid oxidation with cardiac hypertrophy and incident heart failure (Aims 1 and 2). Further, the applicant will
determine whether individuals who develop heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and heart
failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) carry distinct metabolic signatures prior to onset of disease (Aim
3). The proposed research and aims to determine the association of metabolic alterations with the
development of heart failure in an effort to improve understanding of the mechanisms of disease.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9908569
- **Project number:** 1F32HL150992-01
- **Recipient organization:** BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Usman A. Tahir
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $64,778
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2019-12-03 → 2020-07-01

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9908569

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9908569, Metabolomic Profiles and the Risk of Incident Heart Failure (1F32HL150992-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9908569. Licensed CC0.

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