Projects

EAS Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC)

EAS FHSC is a global initiative established in 2015 by Professor Kosh Ray at the Imperial Centre for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (ICCP) at Imperial College London. EAS FHSC aims to tackle the burden of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) worldwide, a common genetic disorder leading to lifelong elevations in LDL-Cholesterol, high cardiovascular risk and development of premature cardiovascular disease. Despite its frequency and preventable outcomes, FH is largely underdiagnosed and undertreated and represents an unaddressed major public health problem. FHSC has established and continues to develop the first global FH Registry by bringing together FH Data from multiple cohorts in the world, in order to generate robust large-scale information on how FH is detected and managed, and the clinical consequences of current practices on outcomes. Currently, FHSC is the leading global initiative on FH, counting 70 participating countries and more than 80 FH Lead Investigators. The long-term initiative and the global effort of participants throughout the world will help close gaps in knowledge, inform about the best interventions, account for providing effective and efficient care, and consequently support the best evidence-based decision making in FH. The Coordinating Centre is based at ICPP, and the project is supported by the European Atherosclerosis Society, funded by grants from Pfizer [No: 16157823], Amgen, MSD, DSE, Sanofi-Aventis, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Regeneron.

The EAS FHSC Coordinating Centre also developed and recently launched an online worldwide directory of lipid clinics and dyslipidaemia patient advocacy groups via a patient-focused, user-friendly website called ‘FindMyLipidClinic.com’, available in 29 languages.

For more information visit the EAS FH Studies Collaboration.

Privacy notice: for FHSC investigator and collaborators

Contacts: Dr Antonio Vallejo-Vaz, Dr Alexander Lyons, Mr Christophe Stevens

TOGETHER Study

The TOGETHER study will collate and link electronic health records of NHS Health Check data with disease registries to understand the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and it’s risk factors across different ethnic population groups, and socio-economic strata, with the aim of utilising this information to develop/tailor risk prediction tools. This study will be a cross-sectional observational study unfolding into prospective CVD ascertainment through longitudinal follow-up. NHS Health Check of approximately 200/250,000 individuals will be extracted from electronic health records at GP practices across London. Initial findings are expected to be published early 2019.

Contacts: Ms Kanika Dharmayat, Dr Rao Kondapally Seshasai

EARLY trial

“The Early Alirocumab to Reduce LDL-C in mYocardial Infarction (EARLY) randomised controlled trial aims to investigate if early use of alirocumab plus atorvastatin 80mg (enhanced care) is superior to the standard care approach with atorvastatin 80mg alone in the reduction in LDL-C from baseline to 2 weeks after initiation of therapy among patients with myocardial infarction (MI) admitted within 24 hrs of symptom onset. A secondary objective is to assess whether alirocumab plus atorvastatin 80mg (enhanced care) is superior to a standard of care approach with atorvastatin 80mg associated with ezetimibe 10mg added to achieve an LDL-goal of < 50mg/dl at 7 weeks after MI.”

Contacts: Prof Kausik Ray

The AHA Study

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the feasibility of administering the Cholesterol CarePlan web application developed by the American Heart Association aimed at improving lifestyle and medication compliance. A prospective observational feasibility study will be conducted among patients being prescribed cholesterol-lowering medication. The study across general practices in London will aim to recruit 180 study participants. Eligible patients will be invited to use the app on a smartphone for 12 weeks and to come into general practice for clinical assessments of blood pressure, height, weight, smoking, cholesterol, self-reported medication adherence and quality of life at baseline, 3 and 6 months post app administration. Results of this research will be reported in December 2018.

Download our Participant Information Sheet (PDF)‌ and Transparency wording (PDF) to learn more.

Contacts: Ms Maria Woringer

UKWHS

The UKWHS was initially designed in the 1980s as a cross sectional study by Imperial College London and later in partnership with the University of Manchester. Approximately 21 000 women aged 30-60 years had baseline demographic data and lifestyle information collected together with physical measurements as well as stored blood samples for biomarker and genetic analyses.

Currently, we plan to link the baseline data to fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events which should allow for 400 000 person-years of exposure and report on 1-2000 cases of cardiovascular disease. This will provide information on the largest prospective cohort of British Women from all regions of Great Britain and Ireland. Following these initial data, blood and genetic material will be analysed for discovery and personalised medicine.

Funder: Sanofi

Clinical trials

The ICCP under Professor Ray participates on the Steering Committee, Executive Committee or as the Principal Lead Investigator of global phase 2 and 3 trials in the areas of dyslipidaemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk reduction. ICCP partners with multinational pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and leading academic centres around the world to test novel therapies to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

Learn more about the various clinical trials we are involved in.