Summary of Research
The main focus of my research is on understanding the aetiology of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in the dog and to determine why certain breeds have a more severe form of the disease with an earlier onset. As this disease shares some characteristics with mitral valve prolapse in people, any research undertaken will have be of considerable comparative interest to human medicine. Previous work has shown genomic and proteomic alterations in the diseased mitral valve and future work will determine if these changes are widespread affecting all mesenchymal tissue or are restricted to the diseased valves. MMVD has been shown to have a hereditary basis in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and results of whole genome analysis using the Illumina Canine SNP20 BeadChip will be used for linkage analysis and association studies. A further area of research is the application of advanced imaging techniques such as 3D echocardiography in order to further understand the relationship between the mitral valve apparatus and the geometry of the left ventricle and the role this may play in the aetiology of the disease.